Nominating Committee for the Vice-Chancellorship - TT2021

Candidate statement:

Personal History

I arrived in Oxford in 2017, after nearly 23 years at St Andrews. I am a senior research fellow at Jesus College and a member of the division of structural biology. I am a scientist working at the interface of chemistry and biology. Currently I am the director of the Rosalind Franklin Institute, (at Harwell). I am an elected fellow of the Royal Society, Royal Society of Edinburgh, Academy of Medical Science, American Association for Advancement of Science and European Molecular Biology Organisation.

Qualifications

I have experience in dealing with level appointments. I served on the University Court (governing body) of the University of St Andrews as the elected science & medicine professor. I was a member of the search committee for the St Andrews new principal & vice chancellor. I currently serve on the council of the Royal Society and was a member of the panel that interviewed and recommended the new foreign secretary. I currently serve as the UK representative on the board of the European X-ray Free Electron Laser. I served on the board of Diamond Light Source and was on the search panel for the new chief executive.

Motivation

I would like to contribute to the University and my skills fit this role. My experience has taught me the value of an academic voice in these appointments. The Vice-Chancellor is primus inter pares, thus must be a respected scholar, a leader, a colleague, a capable administrator, a skilled negotiator and an articulate spokesperson. 

Candidate statement:

I am a research-led teaching academic, Fellow of Merton College and Head of the Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics (2016-). Since arriving at Oxford in the mid-1980’s on an overseas scholarship as a graduate student (New College), I have had the privilege of viewing the collegiate university through many different lenses. As a JRF (Christ Church), Tutor (Merton), Sub-Warden, Senior Pro-Proctor and Deputy Head of Division (MSD 8 years) my experiences have been both challenging and rewarding. Chairing MSD Education, Research and Personnel committees, and as Acting Head of Division (6 months) on Council gave me further insights into the workings of the university. As President of The Physiological Society, and a fellow of several learned societies, I continue to run a research group, which has had uninterrupted external funding for over 35 years. My research career together with my lecturing, examining and service on national RAE/REF committees, is in keeping with my conviction of the importance of both academic research and teaching. As such, I have a good appreciation of the qualities I would most admire in a vice chancellor. If appointed, I would bring to the committee this experience that supports the core values of the university. 

Candidate statement:

It is of great importance that the views of members of Congregation involved in the day-to-day teaching of our students, and in the research life of the University, are heard in the process of nominating a Vice-Chancellor: one of the privileges of academic life at Oxford—one to be guarded—is the direct involvement of academics in its governance. As an academic in the early stages of his career, with experience of service on faculty and college committees, I would hope to bring to this process a significant awareness of the needs of those working on the ground, and of the interests of graduate students and early career academics now and in the coming years, when resources across all disciplines are likely to be further straitened.

A Vice-Chancellor should command the respect of the University as a whole and show a commitment to academic excellence. An understanding of, and respect for, the democratic structures of the collegiate University and the different roles of Colleges, Faculties, Departments, Council, and Congregation are of paramount importance. The Vice-Chancellor must be able to represent the interests of the academy in general and the University in particular, nationally and internationally, and must be able to build bridges and facilitate exchange, whether financial or intellectual. Above all, the Vice-Chancellor must lead by example, demonstrating and defending the values and interests of our University. If elected, I will endeavour to help the University choose a Vice-Chancellor who will understand, and rise to, the challenges of the office. 

Candidate statement:

The upheaval of the past fourteen months has cast into sharp relief the need for effective, collaborative, and sensitive leadership to take the University forward. The challenges facing the next Vice-Chancellor are considerable. Whilst COVID-19 has reminded us of the University’s strengths, for many it has either compounded or highlighted existing weaknesses; a newly elected Vice-Chancellor will need to grapple with maintaining the University’s reputation for world-leading research and teaching whilst ensuring the financial security which permits both. Presenting Oxford as socially responsible, both in terms of access and outreach activities and our impact on our planet, is likely to be more integral to the role than it has ever been before.

If elected to the Committee, I would aim to ensure we nominate a candidate who can rise to these challenges with particular regard for Oxford’s unique history of democracy and self-governance, working constructively with Colleges and Congregation members, so that the significant policy challenges ahead are dealt with in a way that enjoys broad support from across our community.

Since arriving in Oxford five years ago, I have served on the Faculty of Linguistics, Philology, and Phonetics Faculty Board, the Conference of Colleges Steering Committee, and coordinated a national project on care-leavers’ access to Higher Education. In addition to experience of recruitment exercises within a University and College context, I have been closely involved in recruiting senior leaders in the Further Education and charity sector. 

Candidate statement:

After working in the NHS for nine years, I joined the University in 1997 as a Welcome Trust Senior Fellow. Since 2004 I have been a Tutorial Fellow at Hertford College and Professor of Molecular Epidemiology in the Department of Zoology. I have undertaken a wide range of academic and administrative roles in Hertford, the Department, and the University. I was closely involved in the response to the Tinbergen building closure (2017-18) and was Senior Proctor 2019-2020. Consequently, I have a comprehensive overview of the many constituencies within Oxford and their complex and interconnected needs. I know intimately the difficulties of maintaining the high standards of teaching, research, and administration that Oxford sets itself and the enormous pressures that this generates for all members.

Being a Proctor provides unique insights into the extremely challenging, but highly rewarding, role of the Vice Chancellor. Oxford’s long-term success across an extraordinary range of intellectual and practical activities is principally due to its ideals of academic freedom and self-governance. Balancing the requirements of all members of Oxford’s complex ecosystem in an environment of limited resources and ever-increasing externally imposed constraints is very demanding. The Vice Chancellor simultaneously has a vital outward-facing role, including interfacing with government and donors. The coming period will present Oxford with many challenges and to face these effectively we must choose an outstanding individual as Vice Chancellor to guide us. I am confident that I can broadly represent the members of the University in making this crucial choice.