The Lego Foundation gave the university a €4,6 million grant to help found its centre for research on Play in Education, Development and Learning (Pedal) in 2015.
Its research aims to ensure that “children are equipped with 21st-century skills like problem-solving, teamwork and self-control”.
The professor of play, who currently leads the Child and Adolescent Mental Health Research Unit at Imperial College, London, will be the head of the centre, and the grant will also help fund this post.
Part of Prof Ramchandani’s role will involve translating research into evidence for international and national bodies as they produce policy around children’s right to play.