Archive for the ‘College Announcements’ Category

Professor Chris Toumazou is to be appointed as the College’s first Regius Professor of Engineering.

Imperial College London was granted a prestigious Regius professorship by Her Majesty the Queen as part of her 60th anniversary celebrations. Eleven other universities in the UK also received the rare privilege of using the Regius title, awarded only twice in the past century.  The award is a reflection of the exceptionally high quality of teaching and research at an institution and prior to these awards, regius professorships were limited to a handful of the ancient universities of the UK and Ireland – Oxford, Cambridge, St Andrews, Glasgow, Aberdeen, Edinburgh and Trinity College, Dublin.

Imperial College will confer the title of Regius Professor of Engineering on Professor Chris Toumazou FRS, FREng, FMedSci from the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering as part of the Commemoration Day Ceremony on Wednesday 23 October 2013.

Among his many achievements, Professor Toumazou developed one of the world’s first cochlear implants to enable deaf people to hear. He has also created a digital plaster, which can remotely monitor a patient’s medical vital signs in the comfort of their own home and a hand-held genetic sequencing device that can instantly analyse a patients DNA to determine if that patient can metabolise a specific type of medication.

Professor Sir Mark Walport FRS has accepted appointment as an Honorary Distinguished Professor of Medicine at Imperial College.

The appointment is for the duration of Sir Mark’s appointment as the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser.

Sir Mark Walport had been the Director of the Wellcome Trust since 2003, and before that he was Professor of Medicine and Head of the Division of Medicine at the College, where he led a research team that focused on the immunology and genetics of rheumatic diseases.  He originally studied medicine at the University of Cambridge, completing his PhD on complement receptors under the supervision of Peter Lachmann in 1986.  He was knighted in the 2009 New Year Honours list for services to medical research and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2011.  In April this year he succeeded Professor Sir John Beddington as the Government Chief Scientific Adviser.

Imperial was made aware late last week of allegations regarding the use of animals in medical research, subsequently reported in this weekend’s Sunday Times. Upon learning of the allegations the College immediately took a number of steps, including launching an independent investigation. Read more about the College’s response and the investigation.

Staff who receive queries from stakeholders other than the media are advised to point to the College’s news story and statement.

Media
Any media enquiries should be routed immediately to the College’s press office: J-P Jones, 020 7594 6704 / out of hours 07803 886248, john-paul.jones@imperial.ac.uk.

Security
Any security concerns should be raised with the relevant campus contacts.

Professor G. ‘Anand’ Anandalingam, currently the Dean of the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, USA, has accepted appointment as Dean of Imperial College Business School, with effect from 1 August 2013. He succeeds Professor Dorothy Griffiths who was appointed in February 2012 following Professor David Begg’s retirement.

Professor Anandalingam graduated in Electrical Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1975, and subsequently completed a PhD in operations research with economics at Harvard in 1981.  He worked at Brookhaven National Laboratory before he began his academic career at the University of Virginia in 1984 as an assistant professor. In 1987 he moved to the University of Pennsylvania and held a dual appointment as both professor of systems engineering and professor of management science at the Wharton School of Business. In 2001 Professor Anandalingam joined the Robert H. Smith School of Business at the University of Maryland, becoming its Dean in 2008.

Professor Anandalingam was the founder of the Smith School’s Center for Electronic Markets and Enterprises, and was its director from 2001-2004. As an expert in electronic markets and telecommunications networks he has consulted for a range of mature and start-up companies, has published more than 75 research papers, and served as editor of a number of academic journals, volumes and books.

Following the College Notice of 26 February 2013 about a number of changes to the senior management of the College, which will come into effect over the coming months as part of the new President and Provost model of leadership for the College, it is now possible to set out further arrangements for the future governance of the College.

College Cabinet

Terms of reference: to plan for and address strategic issues of medium and long term impact.  It will handle major policies, external relationships, the College Masterplan, financial budgets (annual and medium term) and governance issues.

Core membership: President, Provost, CFO, College Secretary

By invitation according to business: Associate Provost (Institutional Affairs), Faculty Deans, Vice-President (Development & Innovation), Vice-Provosts, and Directors reporting to the President or Provost

President’s Coordinating Group

Terms of reference: informal gathering to consider high-level co-ordination of College business, new initiatives and important issues as they arise.

Core membership: President, Provost, CFO, College Secretary

Provost’s Board

Terms of reference: responsible for the delivery of the College’s core academic mission of education, research and translation.  This includes oversight of the quality and efficacy of education and research; recruitment, development and retention of academic, research and professional staff; student life and well-being; and in-year financial performance and financial control.

Core membership: Provost, CFO, College Secretary, Associate Provost (Institutional Affairs), Faculty Deans, Vice-Provosts

By invitation according to business: COO, Directors reporting to the President or Provost.  The President and Vice-President (Development & Innovation) may attend for specific items.

Senate

The Senate will retain its existing terms of reference and membership, and be chaired by the Provost.

Sub-committees of the College Cabinet

At its inception, there will be two sub-committees to the College Cabinet, both chaired by the President:

• Capital Approval Board (CAB)
• Estates Strategy Group

Estates Strategy Group

The Estates Strategy Group is newly constituted:

Terms of reference: to create a coherent College estates strategy and financial plan for the academic development of South Kensington, Imperial West, Silwood, and the medical campuses for at least the next decade.

Core membership: President (Chair), Provost, CFO, Associate Provost (Institutional Affairs), Vice-President (Development & Innovation), COO

By invitation according to business: Faculty deans, Vice-Provosts

Sub-committees of the Provost’s Board

• Health, Safety & Environment Committee (Chair: College Secretary)
• Equality & Diversity Committee (Chair: to be announced)
• Space Committee (Chair: Associate Provost [Institutional Affairs])
• Vice-Provost’s Committee for Research (Chair: Vice-Provost [Research])
• Vice-Provost’s Committee for Education (Chair: Vice-Provost [Education])

Terms of reference for the latter two committees will be issued in due course.

Research Office

From 1 August 2013 the Research Office will report to the College Secretary & Registrar.

Timing

These new governance arrangements will take effect from 1 August 2013, and the Management Board will be dissolved from that date, but the College Cabinet is expected to commence its work before then.

Professor Sir Keith O’Nions

President & Rector

A number of changes to the senior management of the College will come into effect over the coming months, as part of the transition to the new President and Provost model of governance for the College.

The President & Rector will focus primarily on the College’s external affairs, including development. Professor James Stirling, who is taking up the role of Provost role from 1 August, will be responsible for the delivery of the College’s core mission: education, research and translation.

The Provost will report directly to the President & Rector. Together they will have responsibility for the strategic direction of the College.

Changes from 1 March 2013

On 1 March there will be several changes of title to senior posts, but responsibilities will not alter:

• The Principals of the Faculties and of the Business School will become Deans of the Faculties and of the Business School

• The elected Deans of the Faculties will become College Consuls

• The Dean of Students will become the Director of Student Affairs

Development is one of the key functions of the President & Rector in the new model. Similarly, the President’s focus on external affairs will mean that the role of communications and public affairs will be key to the success of the President’s Office. For this reason, the Director of Communications and Development, Mr Tom Miller, will become the Director of Communications and Public Affairs, and continue to report to the President & Rector, and Dr John Mc Loughlin, appointed Director of Development on 1 January 2013, will report directly to the President & Rector from 1 March 2013.

Changes from 1 April 2013

The Deputy Principal of the Business School, Professor David Gann CBE, has agreed to take up a new appointment as Vice-President (Development and Innovation), reporting to the President & Rector. He will build on his role as a member of the College’s Development Board to advise on development strategy and capacity, as well as the commercial opportunities of Imperial West. He will retain his professorship in the Business School.

Changes from 1 August 2013

Further changes will take effect on 1 August to coincide with the Provost’s arrival.

• Professor Stephen Richardson FREng will move from his current position as Deputy Rector to become the Associate Provost (Institutional Affairs), with principal responsibility to advise on strategic Human Resource issues, including the College’s strategy for academic appointments, promotion, remuneration, retention and staff development. He will continue to lead on the preparation of the College’s submission to REF2014.

• The Pro-Rector (Research) will become the Vice-Provost (Research)

• The Pro-Rector (Education) will become the Vice-Provost (Education)

• The Pro-Rector (Enterprise) will become the Director of Enterprise, reporting to the Provost. The role will also move from part time to full time. As a result, Edward Astle has decided to step down with effect from 31 July. The College is indebted to him for the contribution which he has made over the last four years to improving our links with a broad range of international businesses.

• The Pro-Rector (International) will become the Director of International Affairs in the Office of the President

Reporting lines

From 1 August, the President & Rector’s direct reports will include:

• Provost
• Chief Financial Officer
• College Secretary and Registrar
• Vice-President (Development and Innovation)
• Director of International Affairs
• Director of Communications and Public Affairs
• Director of Development

The Provost’s direct reports will include:

• Associate Provost (Institutional Affairs)
• Dean of Engineering
• Dean of Medicine
• Dean of Natural Sciences
• Dean of the Imperial College Business School
• Vice-Provost (Research)
• Vice-Provost (Education)
• Director of HR
• Director of Enterprise

Further information on the new arrangements and committee structures will follow.

Mr Jonathan Tinnacher, currently Head of Student Recruitment at the University of Leicester, has accepted appointment as Director of Student Recruitment and Outreach with effect from 8 April 2013. He will have responsibility for the central teams working on UK and international student recruitment, outreach to schools and colleges, and recruitment marketing and communications, which are being brought together. He will report to the College Secretary & Registrar.

Mr Tinnacher is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh and has worked previously at the University of Loughborough and the University of Stirling.

A new agreement has recently been signed with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust to formalise the governance arrangements between the College and the Trust, in furtherance of the objectives of the Academic Health Science Centre. It also establishes the College’s relationship with the Trust over the handling of intellectual property between the two organisations, and the Trust’s use of the Imperial College trademark.

Further information about the agreement is available from the College Secretary John Neilson, and from Lynne Cox in the Research Office in relation to intellectual property.

Professor Peter Cheung has accepted an extension of his appointment as Head of the Department of Electrical and Electronic Engineering to 30 September 2016.

Graduating from Imperial in 1973 and after working for Hewlett-Packard in Scotland, Peter Cheung returned to Imperial as a research student in 1976. He was appointed as lecturer in charge of microprocessor teaching for the College in 1980, senior lecturer in 1992, reader in 1997 and professor of digital systems in 2002. Professor Cheung’s commitment to research and teaching has been acknowledged by the award of one of the three earliest Teaching Fellowships from Imperial in 1994 and one of the Rector’s Research Excellence awards (jointly with Professor Wayne Luk) in 2006.

Professor Cheung was first appointed Head of Department in 2008 and appointed Deputy Principal (Education) in the Faculty of Engineering in 2011.

Professor Andrew Livingston has accepted an extension to his appointment as Head of the Department of Chemical Engineering to 30 September 2016.

After graduating in New Zealand and a period in industry, Andrew Livingston took a PhD at Cambridge, subsequently joining Imperial as a lecturer. He was appointed a professor in 1996 and a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2006. His research interests centre on membrane technology for chemical and pharmaceutical applications. Professor Livingston leads a research group of PhD students and post-doctoral research staff; his awards include the Cremer and Warner Medal of the Institute of Chemical Engineers and the Royal Academy of Engineering Silver Medal, and, amongst a number of academic distinctions, an MSc in Economics from the LSE.

Professor Livingston was first appointed Head of Department in 2008.