Professor Perkins appointed Provost of Masdar Institute
05 May 2009
Professor John Perkins, Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, is to leave the University next month to take up a new post as Provost of the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology in Abu Dhabi *.
Professor Perkins joined The University of Manchester in 2004 to lead the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, one of four Faculties in the new institution created following the merger of UMIST and the Victoria University of Manchester.
Professor Perkins has played a major role in establishing the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, which now has a student population of 8600 (with 27% postgraduate) and employs around 2000 staff.
During his tenure as Dean, Professor Perkins has overseen a dramatic growth in the quality, breadth and volume of research activity in the Faculty, as evidenced by the performance in the recent 2008 Research Assessment Exercise and the 71% growth in research income since October 2004.
Commenting on the announcement, Professor Alan Gilbert, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester, said:
“We congratulate John on his new appointment which offers a chance to lead an energy and environmental research and postgraduate education Institute in a pristine net zero carbon city.
“We also thank him for all his hard work and leadership in establishing the Faculty – and the University - as a major global player in the fields of Engineering and the Physical Sciences and a world leader in the field of Nuclear Engineering”.
Commenting on his new appointment, Professor Perkins said:
“During the five years I have spent in Manchester, as a part of the team building the new University, I have been extremely fortunate to work with so many talented and supportive colleagues, both within and outside the Faculty.
“Of course I am looking forward to the challenge of playing a part in the formation of a new Institute of Science and Technology in MASDAR city, but I will always remember with affection my time at Manchester.”
Professor Perkins will take-up his new appointment at the Masdar Institute of Science and Technology on 1st June 2009.
Professor Colin Bailey, currently Head of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering, will become Acting Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences, pending an international search for a new permanent Vice-President and Dean.
* The Masdar Institute, is a private, not-for-profit, independent, research-driven institute developed with the support and co-operation of the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT), dedicated to research and academic study in advanced energy. The Masdar Institute is part of the Masdar Initiative, a multi-faceted initiative aimed at the development, deployment, and commercialization of advanced energy solutions.