Associate Pro Vice-Chancellors

Biography

Rebecca's research interests are driven by using design to improve people's experiences, and ultimately their wellbeing. Her research uses creative and highly participatory methods to engage people in co-designing new experiences for products, environments and services. She has a particular interest in design for subjective wellbeing, future manufacturing and mobility and the issues of technology acceptance related to these. Her research blends design, architecture, engineering, psychology, ergonomics, business, science and computer-science. She has worked with physicists, social scientists, health professionals and artists to deliver projects across sectors from healthcare, automotive, rail and energy, where she has transferred knowledge into large organisations such as the NHS and Jaguar and Land Rover.

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Emily Keightley, Professor Cain is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Vibrant & Inclusive Communities.

Their work will advance the University's progress towards embedding this strategic theme into our everyday operations, ensuring º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ continues to develop as a vibrant and inclusive community.

Biography

After gaining her PhD from º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2007, Emily joined º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in the same year as a Lecturer in Communication and Media Studies. In 2017 she became Professor of Media and Memory Studies and in 2017 was awarded £1m Research Leadership Award by The Leverhulme Trust (2017-2022). Emily is an editor of the international journal Media, Culture & Society and is a founding member of the Global Media Studies Network. 

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Rebecca Cain, Professor Keightley is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Vibrant & Inclusive Communities.

Their work will advance the University's progress towards embedding this strategic theme into our everyday operations, ensuring º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ continues to develop as a vibrant and inclusive community.

Biography

After gaining her PhD from the University of Nottingham in 2010, Diwei joined º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ as a Lecturer in Statistics in the Department of Mathematical Sciences in 2015. After rising to Senior Lecturer in 2020, Diwei continues to teach modules on Medical Statistics and Statistical Shape & Image Analysis, whilst also advising at the Mathematics Learning Support Centre.  

Diwei's main research interests include: 

• Statistical Modelling and Uncertainty Quantification for data-driven problems 
• Statistical Image and Shape Analysis (e.g. Diffusion MRI for brains and muscles) 
• Bayesian statistics 
• Medical statistics 

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor David Fletcher, Professor Zhou is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Sport, Health, and Wellbeing.

Their work aims to consolidate and advance the University's status as a global leader in sport, whilst also exploring how we can maximise the health and wellbeing of the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ community.

Biography

David's teaching, research and consultancy focuses on the psychology of performance excellence in sport, business and other performance domains. His work addresses how high achievers thrive on pressure and deliver sustained success, and clusters around the following performance themes:

• Performance Leadership and Management (e.g. high performance leadership, managing elite teams)
• Performance Environments and Cultures (e.g. organizational functioning and effectiveness, emotional intelligence and communication)
• Performance Psychology and Lifestyles (e.g. growth and thriving, psychological and team resilience, stress and emotion)
• Performance Consultancy and Coaching (e.g. psychosocial skills and interventions, professional competence).

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro Vice-Chancellor Professor Diwei Zhou, Professor Fletcher is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Sport, Health, and Wellbeing.

Their work aims to consolidate and advance the University's status as a global leader in sport, whilst also exploring how we can maximise the health and wellbeing of the º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ community.

Biography

John read Social and Political Sciences at Cambridge University. He was a Senior Scholar at Gonville and Caius College and was the Graythorne Scholar and Beaumont Scholar at Jesus College. His PhD was about the Frankfurt School and John was a post-doc at the Graduate College for Communication Sciences at Siegen University in Germany. His work remains influenced by the rich and continuing tradition of the Frankfurt School that brings together social philosophy and cultural analysis. In 2022 John was elected to be a member of the Academia Europaea in recognition of the 'sustained academic excellence' of his research.

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor Dr Kathryn North, Professor Downey is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Climate Change and Net Zero.

Their work will advance º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ's progress towards our key net zero targets, as well as promoting cross-institutional engagement with this strategic theme moving forwards.

Biography

Kathryn is Director of the Centre for Postdoctoral Development in Infrastructure, Cities and Energy (C-DICE), a £4m programme which is focussing on addressing the net zero challenge through the development of highly skilled postdoctoral researchers.  She has held the positions of Head of Researcher Development at º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ, Head of Skills for the Energy Research Accelerator (ERA) and she leads the skills programme for HyDEX, a £5m programme to develop a hydrogen economy in the midlands. Kathryn’s background is in Plant Biology; she gained her PhD at Lancaster University in 2004 and was a Postdoctoral Researcher at the John Innes Centre in Norwich, prior to joining º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 2007.

Responsibilities

Alongside fellow Associate Pro-Vice Chancellor Professor John Downey, Dr North is responsible for drawing together activities within º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ that contribute to the strategic theme of Climate Change and Net Zero.

Their work will advance º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ's progress towards our key net zero targets, as well as promoting cross-institutional engagement with this strategic theme moving forwards.

Biography

Steve is Professor of Chemical Technologies in the Department of Chemistry, School of Science. His research looks to utilise modern techniques and technologies in order to understand how chemical processes work, and how they can be utilised in an interdisciplinary environment. He works at the interface of chemistry and several other disciplines, including engineering and biology. After a PhD at Strathclyde, and postdoctoral positions at Boston College and Southampton, he joined º¬Ðß²ÝÊÓƵ in 1997. He has held several roles including Associate Dean (Research) and (Enterprise), as well as Head of Department of Chemistry.

Responsibilities

Steve leads the University's Doctoral Researcher programmes to ensure a quality experience for all research students and, in liaison with the Academic Schools, to ensure that the size and distribution of the doctoral researcher population remains at a healthy and optimum level. He works with the Pro Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) to enhance and develop the University Research and Innovation strategy.