Queen Mary, University of London’s Principal, Professor Simon Gaskell, has been appointed to the post of Treasurer for Universities UK - the representative organisation for UK universities.
Comprising of 134 higher education institutions, Universities UK undertakes research and policy development to give British universities a leading voice in the national debate on higher education. The organisation shapes the public debate through conferences, events and its influence on Parliament.
Professor Gaskell was elected Treasurer by the body’s membership on 15 February 2012. He will serve for a term of two academic years, succeeding Julian Crampton of the University of Brighton on 1 August 2012 and holding the position until 31 July 2014.
As a member of the UK Board – the organisation’s decision making body – he will advise Universities UK on its financial strategy and monitor its financial position. He will be involved in broader discussions about higher education policy and interactions with government and other influential bodies.
Amongst other responsibilities, Professor Gaskell will oversee the annual budget, supervise the Board’s investment policy and ensure the smooth-running of Universities UK’s financial control systems.
Professor Gaskell says: “Universities UK strengthens the role our universities play on both a national and international scale. It’s an honour to be elected to the position of Treasurer for such a vital organisation.”
Professor Gaskell’s career has spanned a number of leading academic and management posts in the UK and the United States. Upon completion of his bachelor’s degree and PhD at the University of Bristol, he took up his first research post in 1974 at the University of Glasgow. He later became Head of the Mass Spectrometry Unit at the University of Wales College of Medicine, during which period he spent a sabbatical year at the National Institute of Environmental Health Sciences in North Carolina, USA.
In 1987 he returned to the USA to become Professor of Experimental Medicine in the Baylor College of Medicine, Houston and Adjunct Professor of Pharmacology and Chemistry at the University of Houston from 1989.
Professor Gaskell joined UMIST as Professor of Mass Spectrometry in 1993, before becoming Head of Chemistry in 1999. Following the merger of the two institutions (with which he was closely involved), he was appointed Associate Vice President for Research in the University of Manchester in 2004, and Vice President for Research in 2006.
He took up the post of Principal of Queen Mary, University of London in October 2009.
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