Newsroom University of Manchester

University signs new partnership with behavioural science and technology organisation

Mon, 25 Mar 2024 12:28:29 +0000

The University of Manchester has signed a Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) with Greater 91ֱ��-based organisation KultraLab Limited, which will formalise and strengthen the partnership through new research, development and knowledge exchange activities.

The MoU will create a framework to build on an already fruitful relationship, and will develop collaboration roadmaps to expand the breadth and depth of the partnership in areas including Behavioural AI, Organisational Psychology and High Performance Culture and Behaviours.

KultraLab is a behavioural science and technology organisation, and they have developed a behaviour change coaching platform to enable organisations to create high-performing teams through AI coaching.

“The partnership between The University of Manchester and KultraLab started in 2020, and has organically grown and expanded into multiple collaborations across the Faculty of Humanities and Science and Engineering,” said Caroline Stanton, Head of SME Partnership in the University’s Business Engagement and Knowledge Exchange Team. “The signing of this MoU represents an exciting milestone in the partnership and will provide a strategic framework to strengthen and diversify collaborative opportunities, continue to foster a culture of knowledge exchange and enrich both organisations with valuable benefits.”

“This is a momentous occasion between The University of Manchester and KultraLab that signifies the strength of our existing relationship and the potential for how we will research, innovate and drive impact together,” said Amy King, Chief Behavioural Science Officer at KultraLab. “The MoU represents a mutual opportunity to share expertise, resources and research in a focused and meaningful way, helping us to advance capabilities in behavioural AI to make a positive difference to the world of work.”

£1.5m gift from Simon Sadler enables provision of new bursary for care leavers

Mon, 04 Mar 2024 09:00:00 +0000

A generous £1.5m gift from British businessman and University of Manchester alumnus Simon Sadler has enabled the University to launch a new bursary for students leaving care.

Simon grew up in Blackpool, and was the first in his family to attend University. He is currently Chief Investment Officer of Segantii Capital Management, which he founded in 2007.

He is also the owner and chairman of his hometown football club, having purchased a 96% stake in Blackpool FC in 2019. The town also contains eight of England’s ten most deprived wards, and its share of children in local authority care is the highest in the country.

Over the next three years, the Sadler Bursary will provide an annual grant of £10,000 for 36 undergraduate care-leaver students, with particular priority being given to students from the North West of England – including Blackpool.

The bursary will offer students security for the duration of their degree, providing them with support to secure accommodation and enabling them to focus on their studies without any financial stresses. The £1.5m gift also includes new support for students from low-income households.

There is a ‘care ceiling’ which impedes those with a challenging start in life. Just 14% of care leavers progress to higher education in the UK, in contrast to 47% of students from state-funded schools - and just 90 young people who had spent more than a year in care before the age of 19 entered the UK’s top 32 Universities in 2021-22.

For those who do manage to reach university, care leaver students can face significant money worries as they lack family financial support - the estimated annual cost of living for a student is £14,542. They can also face homelessness during breaks outside term-time, and difficulties accessing private student rental accommodation due to a lack of people able to act as a guarantor.

“It is a true privilege to have these new bursaries named after me, which will give a helping hand to young people who have had particularly complicated starts to their lives,” said Simon. “I also hope it inspires young people who may not have previously considered attending University to follow their dreams.”

Simon and his wife Gillian are also supporting Cancer Research UK’s More Research, Less Cancer campaign with a gift to the CRUK National Cancer Biomarker Centre in 91ֱ��. The Biomarker Centre is housed in the CRUK 91ֱ�� Institute, a partnership between The University of Manchester, CRUK and the Christie NHS Foundation Trust.

“I would personally like to thank Simon for this generous, life-changing programme of support for students leaving care, which will play a pivotal role in our mission to create a more inclusive and accessible academic environment,” said Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor of The University of Manchester. “We are committed to ensuring that students from all backgrounds are able to fulfil their potential and succeed here at our University, and this new bursary is another tool in our arsenal to enable that to happen.”

Our University is committed to supporting care leavers and estranged students throughout their studies, and offers tailored support to these students. This includes various financial packages such as The 91ֱ�� Bursary, the and the - which are all generously supported by donors. The Access & Success Fund also provides accommodation grants for care experienced and estranged students, ensuring they are not left without somewhere to go during the summer break.

Students are also provided with named contacts who help them to navigate and access university support services, assist with accommodation, finances and settling into university life, provide career guidance, put them in touch with other care experienced or estranged students, and provide a listening ear whenever they would like to speak to someone.

Care experienced and estranged students are also offered paid work at the University as a Student Ambassador, which is a great opportunity to access to flexible, paid, part-time work, meet other students and develop people skills. Ambassadors are also offered the chance to act as role models on the projects that we run with looked-after young people by talking about their experiences of education.

University awarded United Nations Environment Programme accreditation

Tue, 06 Feb 2024 16:30:47 +0000

The University of Manchester has been awarded  status by the , the leading global authority on the environment –  to have been given this accolade.

UNEP stated: “UNEP’s mission is to inspire, inform, and enable nations and peoples to improve their quality of life without compromising that of future generations. For over 50 years, UNEP has worked with governments, civil society, the private sector and UN entities to address humanity’s most pressing environmental challenges - from restoring the ozone layer to protecting the world's seas and promoting a green, inclusive economy.”

This UNEP accreditation follows a long line of awards and acknowledgments in recent years for the University’s commitment to sustainability. The University of Manchester is the only university in the world to rank in the top ten for social and environmental impact in every year of the  - the only global performance tables that assess universities against the .

In 2023, the University ranked first in Europe and second in the world against 1,705 universities from 115 countries that submitted data about how they are addressing the most pressing challenges facing our planet.

, Director of , Director of the  Hub,  Chair and Professor of Polymer Science at The University of Manchester, led on the accreditation bid. Professor Shaver highlighted the University’s long-standing commitment and reputation for environmental sustainability, such as our placing as first in the UK and Europe, and third in the world, in the , for our commitment to social and environmental responsibility.

UNEP accreditation grants our University the privilege to submit written contributions, participate in the work of UNEP’s Governing Bodies, such as and the Committee of Permanent Representatives, and be granted observer status to the Assembly and its subsidiary bodies.

The University is delighted to have been awarded such status and looks forward to using its outstanding research contributions in environmental sustainability to influence and drive further change through such a prestigious organisation as UNEP.

Professor Tom Hinchcliffe

Fri, 06 Oct 2023 11:06:21 +0100

The University is deeply sorry to announce the death of Professor Tom Hinchliffe, one of the four Founders of The University of Manchester.

Tom was Pro-Chancellor and Chairman of Council, UMIST (2001-2004). He was honoured as one of the four founders of the new University when it received Royal Charter in October 2004.

Tom graduated from UMIST with a first class honours degree in 1960 and was a Visiting Professor, CEng, FIEE, FBCS and an ICL Fellow.

He worked for ICL, in computer R&D, for his entire career. During the period 1985-95 Tom received, on behalf of ICL, three Queens Awards for Technological Achievement and won the 1995 United Kingdom Quality Award for Business Excellence. He retired as Managing Director in 1996. In 1998, Tom received the Japanese Naruto Medal for 'outstanding engineering achievement'.

Professor Nancy Rothwell, President and Vice-Chancellor, said: “Tom had a deep connection to our University, and as one of its Founders was central to the establishment of the University we know today. He will be remembered with enormous respect and affection. Our thoughts are very much with Eva and all the family at this time.”

Further details of how and where members of the University community can pay their respects to Professor Hinchliffe will follow in due course.

The University’s new Dame and Knight invested at Buckingham Palace

Mon, 19 Jun 2023 10:26:45 +0100

Psychiatrist Professor Louis Appleby and psychologist Professor Robina Shah from the University of Manchester are to be invested at Buckingham Palace to receive their knighthood and Damehood.

Professor Robina Shah is the Director of . She has been made a Dame for services to Patient Care. Robina is a Chartered Consultant Psychologist and Professor of Psycho-social Medicine and Medical Education in the Division of Medical Education at The University of Manchester Medical School.

She is the lead academic on person-centred education, patient safety, patient, and public involvement in the Division of Medical Education.

Robina is passionate about giving patients, carers and families a voice through active partnership. She is also a powerful advocate of psychosocial medicine and committed to patient and public involvement.

Over two decades, Robina has shared her teaching expertise in this area to challenge the focus of medical education from a biomedical model of disease to one that accommodates the psychological, social, and behavioural dimensions of illness.

She said: “I feel very humbled and privileged to receive this accolade and I would like to convey a heartfelt thanks to all those who have supported my life’s journey; especially, the contribution of patients, carers, service users and colleagues.”

was knighted for his services to medicine and mental health. He is Professor of Psychiatry at the University and Chair of the National Suicide Prevention Strategy Advisory Group.

Prof Appleby leads , investigating suicide and self-harm, the largest research unit in this field internationally.

Its findings have been the basis of Government policy on suicide prevention and are widely quoted by governments, professionals and charities.

From 2000-2010 he was seconded as the Government's National Director for Mental Health to lead a national programme of reform in mental health care in England and from 2010-2014 he was National Clinical Director for Health and Criminal Justice.

From 2013-2019 he was a non-executive director of the Care Quality Commission, the NHS regulator.

Louis was the author of England's first national suicide prevention strategy and continues to co-chair (with a health minister) the Government's advisory group on suicide prevention.

He has written reports on suicide prevention after the Grenfell fire for the NHS and on doctors facing investigation for the GMC.

He said: “My award recognises the work of many outstanding colleagues over the years - researchers, NHS staff, campaigning families. It shows how important suicide prevention has become and how much it now matters to society, to all of us.

Launching our bicentenary countdown

Thu, 15 Jun 2023 11:15:00 +0100

Today (15 June) marks 200 days until the University’s 200th anniversary – and the launch of our exciting bicentenary countdown.

From January 2024 we’ll be celebrating our people – historical icons such as Alan Turing and Christabel Pankhurst, to the trailblazers driving change today – recognising their incredible achievements and the impact they have made, in 91ֱ�� and around the world, in a year-long programme of events.

You can now opt in to hear more as our plans develop, and to help us ‘Co-create 200’ – curating, together, a programme of events befitting such a landmark anniversary. From sharing your ideas to volunteering your time, we’d love for you to get involved.

You’ll be among the first to know as our plans progress – including details of any potential volunteering opportunities.

The bicentenary represents a significant milestone for the University, and the chance to both reflect and look ahead. With collaboration at the heart of our community, we want to mark 200 years of education and innovation by engaging with staff, students, alumni, our partners and the public to shape the celebrations to come.

Among them will be a flagship Bicentenary Festival (6-9 June 2024), plus a great range of events and activities. Perhaps, even, a few surprises.

Help us celebrate what makes us proud to belong at 91ֱ�� by signing up today.

91ֱ�� remains the favourite university of UK’s top employers

Mon, 20 Mar 2023 13:58:21 +0000

The University of Manchester has retained its position as the most targeted university by the UK’s top 100 recruiters, according to a report compiled by High Fliers Research.

is the largest and most authoritative annual careers survey of final year students at the UK's thirty leading universities.

Featuring in the top spot for two years running, The University of Manchester was praised for attracting the most top graduate employers for its range of university careers fairs, on-campus employer presentations, university-specific virtual events, careers service promotions and initiatives, alongside other locally-run publicity during the last year.

The is the eighteenth year that High Fliers Research has produced the independent assessment of the graduate job market. In that time, no other institution has been number one more frequently than The University of Manchester, or ranked more consistently amongst the top three.

The other top universities targeted by employers in 2022-2023 were Nottingham, Birmingham, Bristol, Warwick, Leeds, London (University College), Cambridge, Durham and Southampton.

The latest report also highlights that graduate recruitment at the UK's top employers increased substantially in 2022, with a 14.5% increase in the number of graduates recruited compared to 2021.

The number of graduate jobs available is expected to increase by a further 6.3% in 2023, with accounting & professional services firms being the largest recruiters of new graduates.

For more information, please read the or visit the .

University of Manchester is among the 200 most powerful global university brands

Wed, 16 Nov 2022 09:12:44 +0000

The University of Manchester has been ranked 51-60 in the world in the , an increase from 61-70 last year.

To be included in the prestigious Top 200 of the world’s most important higher education institutions is a significant achievement. THE’s World Reputation Rankings employ the world’s largest invitation-only academic opinion survey to provide the definitive list of the Top 200 most powerful global university brands, based on the judgement of senior academics – the people best placed to know the most about excellence in the world’s universities.

The 2022 rankings are based on a survey carried out between November 2021 and February 2022, which received a total of 29,606 responses from 159 countries.

Earlier this year, 91ֱ�� was also named 5th place for research power - the quality and scale of research and impact - in the UK government’s Research Excellence Framework (REF) 2021, the major national exercise to evaluate research activity, which was last held in 2014.

In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework (REF) an impressive 93% of our research activity was rated 'world-leading' (4*) or 'internationally excellent' (3*), confirming 91ֱ�� as one of the UK's top research institutions. 91ֱ�� made one of the largest and broadest REF submissions in the UK, entering 2,249 eligible researchers across 31 subject areas.

First ever civic university agreement for Greater 91ֱ�� signed

Mon, 27 Sep 2021 10:00:00 +0100

The five higher education institutions of Greater 91ֱ�� have launched with mayor Andy Burnham to work together to drive social and economic change in the city region.

The was signed by the vice-chancellors of the University of Bolton, The University of Manchester, 91ֱ�� Metropolitan University and the University of Salford, the principal of the Royal Northern College of Music and Greater 91ֱ�� Mayor Andy Burnham, alongside the 10 local authority leaders of the city region, at a meeting of the Greater 91ֱ�� Combined Authority on Friday 24 September.

Pledges have been made for collective action on six priority areas of education and skills; reducing inequalities; jobs and growth; the digital economy; net zero; and the creative and cultural economy.

These commitments have been made following consultation with political and civic leaders, as well as polling carried out with residents of Greater 91ֱ��. This polling found that the top priorities for people living in the city region were economic growth and reducing unemployment, improving health and wellbeing, addressing the climate crisis, and increasing job quality.

The polling also highlighted that people in the city region recognise the role of universities in meeting these priorities through training professionals to work in public services, creating jobs and opening up access to higher education for young people from across Greater 91ֱ�� and beyond.

The , said: “We are very proud of the civic role that our universities already play in Greater 91ֱ�� and this agreement sets out how we can enhance this through collective action. During the pandemic, our five universities came together in new ways to work collaboratively in meeting the needs of students, staff and our local communities. As we turn to recovery and building back better from Covid, we can be more than the sum of our parts by working together to deliver real and lasting impact for our city region.

“The Greater 91ֱ�� Civic University Agreement is the biggest and most ambitious partnership of its kind in the country covering two cities, eight boroughs and 2.8 million people and outlines how we will work together to level up our city region through innovation, reach our climate ambitions and support the creation of educational pathways into good quality jobs.”

Andy Burnham, Mayor of Greater 91ֱ��, said: “The signing of this agreement is a landmark moment for Greater 91ֱ��.

“Through this agreement we can ensure our city-region is the best place for people to learn and gain qualifications throughout their lifetime, by providing more ways into further and higher education. Our universities are at the cutting edge of innovation, and we have a plan to make sure that the impact of this innovation is felt across Greater 91ֱ��.

“Our city-region’s education institutions play an enormously important role, supporting more than 100,000 students and providing businesses with a skilled workforce, while also serving their communities and acting as major employers in their own right. They will have a significant part to play as we tackle challenges like reducing inequalities and meeting our net zero targets.”

Priority areas of action in the civic university agreement include Innovation GM – the £7bn innovation blueprint for the city region, pressing on with action to reach net zero by 2038 and supporting the growth of the digital economy through initiatives such as the AI Foundry and the Cyber Foundry. The pledge also builds on a recent commitment to collaboration with further education colleges in Greater 91ֱ�� and will seek to build partnerships with wider stakeholders across the public and private sector.

The microsite:

The Greater 91ֱ�� Civic University Agreement :

A message from the leaders of Greater 91ֱ��’s universities and Mayor Andy Burnham:

2021 New Year Honours for University academics and alumni

Thu, 31 Dec 2020 07:39:54 +0000

Congratulations to our academic staff who have been named in this year’s New Year’s Honours

Professor Rachel Griffith became a Dame of the British Empire for services to Economic Policy and Education. She is Professor of Economics at the University as well as Research Director of the Institute for Fiscal Studies (IFS). She is a Fellow of the Econometric Society, the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences and Honorary Foreign Member of the American Economic Association. She won the Birgit Grodal award in 2014 and was awarded a CBE in 2015 for services to economic policy and was also the first female President of the European Economic Association (2013-2015), the Royal Economics Society’s first female President (2018-2021) in over 35 years and only the second woman to hold the post in its 129-year history.

She said: “I'm honoured to receive this award. It is a great recognition of the many ways that economics is changing - for the better. I have had the privilege to be able to work with economists from a wide range of institutions and backgrounds to mobilise research to address the many challenges society is currently facing. I am very optimistic about the positive role that sound and robust economic analysis can play in helping the country to recover."

Dr Heather Williams is a Principal Medical Physicist for Nuclear Medicine at The Christie NHS Trust and honorary Lecturer in the Centre for Imaging Sciences at 91ֱ�� University. The ScienceGrrl Director received an MBE for services to diversity and inclusion in science. She has long been engaged in encouraging would-be scientists, particularly the drive to improve the representation of women in all scientific fields.

She said “I’m delighted to have been nominated for this honour and am very pleased that diversity and inclusion in science has been recognised as a worthwhile goal, which has yet to be achieved, and still requires attention and effort. I am not alone in this endeavour and would like to thank all those who are working to ensure science really is for everyone.”

Professor Michael Wood, Historian and Broadcaster, has been awarded an OBE For services to Public History and to Broadcasting. Professor Wood was appointed Professor of Public History at The University of Manchester in 2013 and has been involved with a dioverse range of work from exploring the work of Marx and Engels with undergraduates, to being a patron on the 91ֱ�� Histories Festival and inspiring the next generation of students through school visits.

Originally from 91ֱ��, he is one of the country's best loved historians, presenting history documentaries on everything from China to Shakespeare over the last few decades. He is also the author of numerous books about history.

Several members of our alumni community have also been recognised in the list. Toby Jones (BA Drama 1989) becomes an OBE for his services to drama. The actor, who received an Outstanding Alumni Award from the University in 2012, counts Tinker, Tailor, Soldier, Spy and the Harry Potter franchise among his many film credits, as well as the BBC's Bafta-winning comedy Detectorists.

Linda Magrath (BAEcon 1981), chief executive at the Laurus Trust, a multi-academy trust containing Cheadle Hulme High School and five other schools, becomes an OBE for services to education in Greater 91ֱ��.

Debbie Frances (MBA 1990), managing director at Direct Rail Services, also becomes an OBE, for services to women in the rail industry.

David Smith (BA English Language and Literature 1987), deputy managing director and chief operating officer at the Parliamentary Digital Service is made an OBE for services to parliament, particularly during the Covid-19 response.

Moira Sinclair (BA Drama 1985), chief executive at the Paul Hamlyn Foundation, an independent grant making foundation that supports social change, is also made an OBE, for services to charity and the arts.

Dr Amir Hannan (MBChB 1995) becomes an MBE for services to general practice. Dr Hannan is a GP at Haughton Thornley Medical Centre, Hyde. He has achieved national recognition for his pioneering work on patient record access and understanding and is also chair of the Association of Greater 91ֱ�� Local Medical Committees.

Optometrist Dr Ruth Perrott (BSc(T) Ophthalmic Optics 1974) is also made an MBE, for services to people with sight impairments in Africa.

Finally, Nick Speight (BA German Language and Literature 1990), head of HR services and operations at the Co-operative Group, becomes an MBE for services to the food supply chain during Covid-19.

University celebrates 100 years of inter-varsity sport in the UK

Mon, 04 Nov 2019 09:21:00 +0000

The University of Manchester - one of the 11 founding members of inter-varsity sport -has celebrated its 100th anniversary at a special event.

The first ever track and field event held in May 1919 was at the University’s Fallowfield campus, contested by the then inter-varsity Athletics Board of England and Wales (IVAB)

The 11 founding members were Aberystwyth, Bangor, Birmingham, Bristol, Cardiff, Leeds, Liverpool, 91ֱ��, Nottingham, Sheffield and Durham.

Students, staff, and alumni heard Vince Mayne, CEO of the current version IVAB, British University College Sport (BUCS) spoke about how physical activity in the sector has grown and developed over a 100 years

He highlighted the huge scale of student competitions in the UK and the investments in world class sporting facilities across the sector.

Vicky Ackerley, Head of Sport & Active Lifestyles also payed homage student athletes included Ron Unsworth, a former Olympian who advocated for the University and its sporting legacy throughout his life.

She also outlined the University’s most recent £90m student accommodation development in Fallowfield, Unsworth Park named in his memory.

The University’s sporting legacy dates back to over 100 years: the Athletic Union established in 1885, along with the Christie Championships vs. Leeds and Liverpool Universities founded a year later, and highlighted the impact of our sporting Alumni XXI Club.

A panel discussion chaired by Alumna and former European Judo Champion Rowena Birch, highlighted the sporting and education journeys of four current students Thomas Lewis (Mathematics 3rd year) Allen Judge (Law with Politics 2nd Year), Jason Hui (Material Sciences PhD final year) and Grace Harvey (Immunology 2nd year).

Vicky concluded the evening celebrating the wide programme and workforce that engage over 16,000 students & staff each year, highlighting the employability skills gained through voluntary workforce opportunities, engagement with civic and social responsibility agendas through the annual Purple Wave 10k event, through to de-stress programmes especially around exam periods that support student wellbeing.

She said: ‘We are very lucky to have such a rich sporting heritage at The University of Manchester, and to have played a crucial role in the creation of inter-varsity sport across the UK one hundred years ago. This event has enabled us to reflect on previous glory and celebrate how sport in higher education has grown and evolved, and more than ever is contributing to the development and wellbeing of our people”