Professor Geoff Parks appointed Deputy Head of School of Technology (Education)
The School of Technology has announced the appointment of Professor Geoff Parks as its next Deputy Head of School (Education) from September 2024.
Professor Geoff Parks has enjoyed a long career as a UTO in the Department of Engineering, during most of which he has also held substantial administrative roles. He was appointed a University Lecturer in 1996 and is now a Professor of Nuclear Engineering. He has to date supervised more than 40 PhD students and more than 100 MEng and MPhil projects. Geoff did a stint as Director of Undergraduate Education in the Engineering Department from 1999 to 2003, during which time Part II of the Engineering Tripos was ‘modularised’. He served as the Department’s Director of Undergraduate Admissions from 2002 to 2016, over which period he organised and led no fewer than 44 Easter and Summer Schools for prospective applicants.
As a Fellow at Jesus College, Geoff directed studies in Engineering for 26 years, has served as an Admissions Tutor for 12 years and as Senior Tutor for 10 years. He also served as Director of Admissions for the Cambridge Colleges from 2003 to 2012.
In his new role, Geoff will provide academic oversight of the education activities within the School. He will be responsible for developing the long-term strategic vision of education within the School, supporting improvements in our education portfolio through course development and sharing of best practice and representing the School at central education Committees.
Professor Róisín Owens appointed Deputy Head of School of Technology (Research)
The School of Technology has announced the appointment of Professor Roisin Owens as its next Deputy Head of School (Research) from October 2023.
Professor Róisín M. Owens is a multidisciplinary scientist working at the interface of biology and engineering, currently Professor of Bioelectronics at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology. She received her BA in Natural Sciences (Mod. Biochemistry) at Trinity College Dublin, and her PhD in Biochemistry and Molecular Biology at Southampton University.
She carried out two postdoc fellowships at Cornell University, and then spent 8 years as a group leader in the Department of Bioelectronics at École des Mines de St. Étienne, on the microelectronics campus in Provence. Her research centres on application of organic electronic materials for monitoring biological systems in vitro, with a specific interest in studying the gut-brain-microbiome axis.
Professor Owens has received several awards including a European Research Council Starting Grant, Proof of Concept Grant and Consolidator Grant; a Marie Curie fellowship, and an EMBO fellowship. She is a 2019 laureate of the Suffrage Science Award and author of 100+ publications.
As the Deputy Head of the School of Technology, Professor Owens will oversee the development and implementation of the School’s research strategy, aiming to create impetus, develop capacity and connect with major new challenges. Professor Owens will also represent the School on research matters at central University Committees, and contribute to the development of University policies on research matters.
Professor Lindsay Greer begins as Director of Research Relations
Professor Lindsay Greer has begun in a newly-created role as Director of Research Relations, working jointly in the Schools of the Physical Sciences and Technology.
Professor Greer will provide strategic leadership to inform and promote the research being undertaken in the Departments of the two Schools, by developing major new projects and building networks across and beyond the University. He will work with the Heads of School, their deputies and the Secretaries of the School to develop the two Schools’ research strategies and improve practical support for PIs in order to increase overall grant funding, and increase Cambridge leadership of large, multi-institution bids.
A key element of Professor Greer’s role will be to develop and refine the Schools’ overall strategy for engagement with funders (including the EPSRC), policymakers, government and industry, and to ensure that this coordinates with engagement activities being pursued centrally by the University and the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research. He will work with external bodies to better understand their requirements, in order to identify areas in which substantial bids for funding could be made.
Professor Greer received his MA & PhD from the University of Cambridge. He served as Head of the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy (2006–2013) and as Head of the School of the Physical Sciences (2016‒2019). He Initiated the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre and was its inaugural chair. The focus of Professor Greer’s research is how materials change their structures. Understanding this will enable us not only to assess the stability of materials, but also to develop new microstructures, properties and functionalities.