Professor Martin Schröder to step down as Vice-President and Dean

19 Dec 2024

Recruitment process for a new Vice-President and Dean will start in January

After ten years as Vice-President and Dean of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, Professor Martin Schröder has decided to step down on 1st June 2025. 

Martin moved to The University of Manchester to take up his current position in 2015 and has since overseen a huge amount of change across the Faculty. He led the restructure of the Faculty from nine schools into two to strengthen interdisciplinary research and teaching excellence and raise standards. He has overseen the establishment of the Teaching College, supported the reorganisation of professional services across the Faculty as they were transformed through a wide-ranging review of Technical Services, the implementation of the Student Experience Programme, and reviews of Faculty Office, School Operations, Safety and Compliance. 

Martin also played a crucial leadership role through the pandemic, and in the relocation of more than 8,000 students, academic staff, and professional services colleagues from North Campus to the main campus – delivering world-class facilities while reducing our physical footprint and increasing efficiency. This shift has driven innovation in how we work, learn, and teach, in addition to creating new opportunities for innovation on North Campus with the establishment of Sister.

The University will begin a formal recruitment process for Martin’s replacement in January; this will involve an extensive international search process.

After stepping down as Vice-President and Dean, Martin will continue to work as a research professor within our Department of Chemistry.

Professor Duncan Ivison, President and Vice-Chancellor said: “I would like to thank Martin for all his support since I joined the University. Martin has clearly been an inspirational leader throughout the last decade, and his work in the Faculty will ensure that the next holder of this important office will be well positioned to help us deliver our ambitions for Manchester 2035 and beyond.”