Anglia Ruskin welcomes new head of Science

The Faculty has a major presence on both the Chelmsford and Cambridge campuses, and offers a wide range of courses at undergraduate, postgraduate and research level.

Professor Butler joins Anglia Ruskin from the University of Reading, where he was Head of the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences for over six years.  At Reading he led research into nutritional psychology, cognition and ageing.

Professor Butler, who has also been appointed as Pro Vice Chancellor, said: “I’d like to thank everyone at ARU for the warm welcome I have received.  I’ve been really impressed by the enthusiasm and ambition of the staff I have met, and look forward to working with colleagues to help establish this as a leading centre for science and engineering in the UK.

“I firmly believe that working with business, as well as public and third sector organisations, is a win-win for all. The future for universities is in partnerships and I see enormous potential for the Faculty of Science and Engineering at ARU given our staff, facilities and fortunate geography.

“As well as bringing economic value to the region, this approach will ensure that we continue to train confident, employable graduates with the right placement or internship experience.

“One of our main priorities will be to work with partner organisations to tackle the regional shortfall of STEM graduates. In particular, I want us to build on excellent work already underway at ARU to ensure that far more women and other under-represented groups train to become the engineers, architects, computer scientists and scientists of tomorrow.

“Finally, I want us to continue to do what ARU does so well through its excellence in teaching and research – that is to continue to transform lives and communities. There is a line in the University Strategy which says ‘We will be inclusive and welcoming of all who want to study with us, measuring our success by their success’.

“I’m very proud to have joined a University that thinks in this way, and I look forward to working with staff and students at ARU as well as our many partners to deliver this.”

Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin, said: “We are delighted to welcome Professor Laurie Butler to Anglia Ruskin.  In his previous role, Laurie demonstrated outstanding leadership across education and research, as well as in developing partnerships with external organisations.

“With students now enjoying the wonderful facilities in our new £45m Science Centre in Cambridge, and Chelmsford gearing up to host the British Science Festival in 2020, this is an incredibly exciting time for the Faculty of Science and Engineering.”