Professor Laura Harkness has been appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the Faculty of Science and Engineering, taking over the role from Professor Wiebe Van Der Hoek who retires in August.
Laura joined the University as Lecturer in 2014, before moving to the role of Senior Lecturer, then Reader in 2019. In 2021, Laura was appointed Chair in Physics and Associate Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact. For the past 10 years, she has been leading a research team of postdoctoral and postgraduate researchers to deliver projects on gamma-ray spectroscopy and imaging. Laura is also an alumnus of the University.
Laura will take up the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor in September 2025.
Vice-Chancellor, Professor Tim Jones said: “Laura is an outstanding academic leader with a clear vision for the Faculty and the role it has in helping us to deliver our strategic framework, Liverpool 2031.
“I’m sure that colleagues throughout Science and Engineering, and indeed across the institution, will join me in congratulating Laura on her appointment. I look forward to working together to further the University’s ambitious plans to deliver exceptional and impactful teaching and research, both at home and globally.”
Professor Laura Harkness said: “It is a huge honour to be entrusted to the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Science and Engineering and I am looking forward to carrying on the already great work being delivered by the Faculty in support of the University’s strategic plans. This is an exciting time for the University, as work gathers pace on Liverpool 2031 and we explore new opportunities to deliver research and teaching excellence, alongside a first-class student experience. I can’t wait to get started.”
Laura is a National Physical Laboratory (NPL) Science and Technology Advisory Council member and UKRI Interdisciplinary Assessment College (IAC) Chair. As an advocate for interdisciplinary and collaborative research, she led the STFC Cancer Diagnosis Network+, a national research network aimed at developing new techniques and technologies in cancer diagnosis by bringing together physicists from the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC) community with researchers and clinicians from other disciplines.
In 2024 Laura was awarded the Nuclear Physics Division Prize for Applied Nuclear Science by the European Physical Society. Laura has been active in undergraduate and postgraduate teaching throughout her career and is a recipient of a Guild of Students award.