Professor Francis Davis was a Visiting Professorial Fellow at the Oxford Institute of Population Ageing where he  worked on social protection and social policy. He has a particular interest in civil society – state relations and local government/decentralisation impacts on the place and role of religious institutions (and vice versa) on ‘carescapes’, social capital and social solidarity.

He has directed research centres at Cambridge and Oxford focused on social inclusion and is active as Head of Digby Stuart College and Professor of Civic Leadership and International Studies at the University of Roehampton. He was previously Professor of Communities and Public Policy at the University of Birmingham. In public service he has had spells  as policy advisor on communities on the staff of  the UK Secretary of State for Local Government, acted an external advisor to the UK Minister for Disabilities. and held public appointments in the Department of Health and the NHS. An award winning social entrepreneur in ageing, social inclusion and civic innovation he has lived experience as a carer and from 2016-2019 chaired patient hearings under the UK Mental Health Act.

Zambian born he has long standing links with SADCC and COMESA countries. In Jan 2020 he published a report Ageing in Rwanda.