Leadership appointments for some research platforms and institutes
19 Aug 2024
Five directors announced at our research platforms and institutes, which bring colleagues together to solve global challenges
The University has appointed senior leadership roles in a number of our research platforms and institutes.
Our research platforms provide focus and resource to connect, drive and amplify interdisciplinary collaborations between academics, Faculties and institutes, while our institutes combine disciplines to facilitate leading-edge research and meet the external demands of government, business and communities.
The new appointments, who will take up their roles from now and over the next few weeks, are:
Professor Richard Kingston – Digital Futures Director
Richard, who joined our University in September 2003, is Professor of Urban Planning and GISc, Director of the NERC Digital Solutions Programme and Deputy Director of the Spatial Policy Analysis Lab. A large part of his role is leading NERC's 5-year Digital Solutions Programme which is investing £8m in the development of an online platform and set of toolkits that will exploit environmental and other data to create innovative digital services that deliver economic, societal and environmental benefits across the UK.
For more information, visit his Research Explorer profile: Richard Kingston
Digital Futures is an interdisciplinary network that operates across the University’s digital research, bringing together more than 1700 researchers from all three Faculties.
Dr Tim Foster – Manchester Environmental Research Institute (MERI) Director
Tim, who joined the University as a Senior Lecturer in Water-Food Security in August 2016, leads the Agriculture, Water and Climate (AWC) Research Group with the Department of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering and is affiliated with the Global Development Institute. His research group's mission is to evaluate and quantify feedbacks between agricultural production and environmental change.
For more information, visit his Research Explorer profile: Tim Foster
MERI unites knowledge and expertise from across The University of Manchester to address the environmental challenges we face today.
Professor Anthony Green – Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) Director
Anthony, who has been appointed as the new Director of the Manchester Institute of Biotechnology (MIB) following a short term as Interim Director, is a Professor of Organic and Biological Chemistry. He was recently named the Blavatnik Chemical Sciences Laureate for his discoveries in designing and engineering new enzymes with valuable catalytic functions to address societal needs. Recent examples include the development of engineered biocatalysts to produce COVID-19 therapies, to break down plastics, and that use visible light to drive challenging chemical reactions. For more information, visit his Research Explorer profile: Anthony Green
MIB facilitates cross-disciplinary research to develop new biotechnologies that have applications in human health, the energy economy, food security and the environment.
Professor Karen Lucas – Manchester Urban Institute (MUI) Director
Karen is Professor of Human Geography and Director of Research in the Department of Geography within the School of Environment, Education and Development (SEED). She has been deputy director of the Manchester Urban Institute and leads its Transport and Mobilities research group. She is a world-leading expert on transport and social justice in the Global North and South, now working on developing transport poverty index for the European Commission's DG Employment.
For more information, visit her Research Explorer profile: Karen Lucas
MUI combines the strengths of multiple thematic groupings drawn from across our University’s three Faculties to deliver our vision through serving as a leading academic urban institute generating world-class research.
Professor Ian Kinloch – Henry Royce Institute Chief Scientific Officer
Ian, who joined the University in 2006, is the Morgan Advanced Materials/Royal Academy of Engineering Research Chair in Carbon Materials in the Department of Materials. He is Head of Research for the School of Natural Sciences and co-leads the Advanced Nanostructures Group, which spans the Henry Royce Institute and the National Graphene Institute. For more information, visit his Research Explorer profile: Ian Kinloch
The Henry Royce Institute supports world-recognised excellence in UK materials research, accelerating commercial exploitation of innovations and delivering positive economic and societal impact for the UK.
“I am delighted to announce these important appointments and would like to thank previous Directors for their leadership and contributions,” said Associate Vice-President for Research, Professor Nigel Hooper.
“Directors of Research Platforms and Institutes play an essential role in leading the way and ensuring that teams are mobilised to solve global challenges, where our research community’s talent and innovation catalyse into impact.”
Overview
For further information on our research platforms and institutes, please visit: