Fiona Devine becomes new Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities

01 Aug 2023

Professor Claire Alexander and Professor Ken McPhail also start their new roles as Head of School of Social Sciences and Head of Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS) respectively

Professor Fiona Devine has today (1 August) become Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Humanities, as Professor Keith Brown steps down after 13 years in the role.  

Fiona was previously Head of Alliance Manchester Business School, which has developed an internationally renowned reputation under her leadership, delivering world-class research and teaching. She successfully guided the School through many significant milestones, including the move to new premises on Booth Street West. Prior to being Head of AMBS, Fiona was Head of the School of Social Sciences from 2009-13.   

In a message to Humanities staff earlier today, Fiona said she was thrilled to start in the new role and welcomed Professor Claire Alexander as the new Head of the School of Social Sciences (SoSS) and Professor Ken McPhail as the new Head of Alliance Manchester Business School (AMBS).

Claire Alexander, Professor of Sociology, has replaced Professor Brian Heaphy, who steps down from his five-year term as Head of SoSS. Claire was previously Director of Research for the School and Associate Director of the Centre on Dynamics of Ethnicity. Since joining SoSS, Claire has served as the School’s Social Responsibility Director and Chair of the Athena SWAN Self-Assessment Team (SAT), and is a member of our University’s Race Equality Charter Mark SAT. 

Before taking up the Head of AMBS role, from 2017 to 2021 Ken McPhail was Deputy Head of the School and Director of Research, where he led the School’s 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission and was involved in bringing the £32 million ESRC Productivity Institute to Manchester. Ken joined our University from Melbourne in 2014 in the role of Vice-Dean of Social Responsibility in the Faculty of Humanities.