The University is led by the Executive Team. Find out more about how we are governed and managed.
The Vice-Chancellor's Executive Team supports the Vice-Chancellor in delivering the University's Strategy and in the operational management of the University.
Beyond this team is the University's governing body, The Council, comprising a larger group drawn from academia and beyond. The Council is chaired by the Pro-Chancellor.
The Rt Hon Alan Milburn became Chancellor of Lancaster University on 1 January 2015. He succeeded the University's second Chancellor, mountaineer Sir Chris Bonington CVO CBE DL, who continues his involvement with the University in the new role of Chancellor’s Ambassador.
The Rt Hon Alistair Burt has been Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council at Lancaster University since October 2020.
Alun Branigan is the University's Deputy Pro-Chancellor.
The Vice-Chancellor's Office is responsible for the leadership and strategy of the University.
Professor Rebecca Lingwood joined Lancaster University as Deputy Vice-Chancellor in July 2024. She is currently undertaking the role of Interim Vice-Chancellor.
She has a background in theoretical and experimental fluid dynamics specialising in laminar-turbulent transition of complex flows. Since 2007, her research has been based at the Royal Institute of Technology KTH, Sweden, where she is an Affiliated Professor.
Professor Lingwood studied Engineering followed by a PhD at the University of Cambridge. She was appointed to a Research Fellowship at Pembroke College, Cambridge, followed by a Dorothy Hodgkin Royal Society Research Fellowship. She moved to the École Polytechnique, France, in 1999, before returning to the UK, first working in industry and then for the University of Oxford in a variety of roles, before returning to Cambridge in 2009, and moving on to become Vice-Principal (Student Experience, Teaching & Learning) at Queen Mary University of London and then to be Provost of Brunel University London.
Professor Simon Guy’s Global remit is to develop, connect and lead Lancaster University’s digital, international and sustainability strategy. He is currently leading the creation of Lancaster’s new campus in Indonesia, scaling up our campus in Leipzig, Germany, while also overseeing the evolution of our other partner campuses in China, Ghana and Malaysia. Simon also leads our work on sustainability and the climate emergency, coordinating work across the University to meet our net zero goals and commitments. He also has responsibility for our digital agenda, ensuring our infrastructure and operational processes are digitally enabled to promote agility and efficiency and that digital innovation underpins our academic practices.
Professor Malcolm Joyce has been interim Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise of Lancaster University since March 2024. He was previously Cross-faculty Associate Dean for Research (2019-2024) and Head of Engineering at Lancaster (2008-2015).
He has a background in nuclear engineering specialising in applied radiation detection and materials assay for applications in nuclear energy, decommissioning, and environmental characterisation.
Professor Joyce studied Physics followed by a PhD in Nuclear Physics and a DEng in Nuclear Engineering at the University of Liverpool and then spent 4 years in industry. He was awarded a national teaching prize by the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2005, the James Watt medal by the Institution of Civil Engineers in 2014, a Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award in 2016 and was promoted to Distinguished Professor of Nuclear Engineering in 2023. He is a Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Nuclear Institute.
Sarah Kemp is the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement. She leads on the Knowledge Exchange Framework and the Civic University’s Agreement. Lancaster University places equal weight on the quality of its teaching, its research and its engagement, as all are critical to the civic responsibility of a university in the 21st Century. She leads on the Eden North project and broader external engagement with National Cyber Force and is the senior management link to the Chaplaincy.
Sarah has built a career which is fluid across many sectors within the private and public sector arena, building on an original foundation as a science and technology graduate of Kings College London. She subsequently became a successful international business development manager in life science and scientific instrumentation markets, at which time she also successfully completed a Master's in Business Administration.
Professor Wendy Robinson is the University’s PVC Education and is responsible for leading the University’s strategy for delivering an excellent, transformative, rigorous and innovative educational experience for all students and to ensure that the quality of the student experience remains at the heart of University activity.
Wendy joined Lancaster University in 2021, having previously held academic appointments at the Universities of Exeter, Warwick and Cambridge. During her sixteen years tenure as Professor of Education at Exeter, Wendy developed her academic leadership portfolio through a number of senior leadership positions, including as Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Executive Dean of the College of Social Sciences and International Studies, University Academic Dean, Faculty Associate Dean for Education and Head of the Graduate School of Education.
Wendy’s academic background is as an educationist where she has published extensively in the field of history of education and historical perspectives on teacher development, teacher effectiveness, teacher education and gifted education. Selected research monographs include:
Distinguished Professor Nigel Davies will take up the role of Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) from 1 August 2025 on a six-month secondment basis.
He will support the Deputy Vice-Chancellor, Professor Rebecca Lingwood, who will serve as Interim Vice-Chancellor to the end of the year. Nigel will also play a key part in maintaining academic leadership of LU Future, helping shape and guide its delivery and taking up membership of the LU Future Delivery Board.
Professor Davies will be temporarily stepping away from his current position as Head of School of Computing and Communications.
Professor Phil Barker, current Deputy Dean for FST, commenced in the role of Interim Executive Dean on 1 June 2025, serving until the end of December 2025.
Professor Edward Simpson is Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences. FASS is a large and vibrant faculty with a global outlook and reputation. The Faculty includes arts, humanities, languages and social sciences as well the Confucius Institute, Lancaster Arts and The Ruskin. Edward joined Lancaster in 2023 having previously served as Head of College at SOAS University of London.
Edward is Professor of Social Anthropology. His research has focused on India, particularly post-disaster reconstruction and politics. More recently, with funding from the European Research Council, he has led projects looking at climate change, infrastructure and thought politics.
.jpg)
Professor Claire Leitch was appointed Executive Dean of Lancaster University Management School (LUMS) in May 2022, with responsibility for leading the Faculty to align with Lancaster University’s strategy. She joined LUMS in 2012 and served as Interim Executive Dean, Deputy Dean and Associate Dean in LUMS prior to her recent appointment. Before arriving in Lancaster, Professor Leitch held posts at Queen’s University Management School, Belfast and the University of Ulster. In 2021, she was elected as one of Senate’s representatives to University Council for a three-year period.
Claire has an international research reputation and recognition in gender, leadership and learning in entrepreneurial contexts and was responsible for leading the Faculty’s successful Athena Swan Bronze submission in April 2021. Currently, she is co-director of LUMS’s Academy for Gender, Work and Leadership and is leading a major EU project addressing gender inequality in management schools, which positions Lancaster at the heart of the European EDI agenda.
Professor Jo Rycroft-Malone is the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health and Medicine with responsibility for leading the Faculty to align with Lancaster University’s strategy. She has considerable university leadership experience being previously Head of School, University Director of Research, and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Impact.
Jo is a Distinguished Professor of Health Research, undertaking research that is directly relevant to improving patient and public outcomes and experiences. In 2014, Jo was named a highly cited researcher in the top 1% globally by citation for field (social sciences) in the Web of Science. Jo has considerable experience in research and policy contexts, including as Director of the National Institute for Health Research’s (NIHR) Health Services and Delivery Research (HS&DR) Programme, member of the NIHR Strategy Board, and as Chair of the National Institute for Care and Health Excellence (NICE) Implementation Strategy Group.
Nicola Owen is the Deputy Chief Executive (Operations) at Lancaster University. Together with the Director of Finance, she leads the Professional Services at Lancaster. As Deputy Chief Executive (Operations), she is the Head of Administration and has responsibility for the following administrative divisions:
Prior to joining Lancaster, Sarah Randall-Paley studied English at Nottingham University and then qualified as a Chartered Accountant with KPMG in London, working in audit and forensic accounting.
Sarah has been Lancaster University’s Director of Finance since 2009. Together with the Deputy Chief Executive (Operations), she leads the Professional Services at Lancaster. As Director of Finance, she is responsible for Finance and Procurement activities including financial management and control, financial reporting, preparation of data returns, audit preparation, treasury management and promoting value for money. She also supports the Vice-Chancellor in his wider responsibilities as designated Accountable Officer under the OfS regulatory framework.
In 2010 Lancaster was successful in winning the ‘Outstanding Finance Team’ in the Times Higher Education Awards (THELMAs) and in the 2014 THELMAs Lancaster was shortlisted for ‘Outstanding Procurement Team’. In 2023 the Procurement team won an award for ‘Outstanding Responsible Procurement Initiative’ from the UK Universities Purchasing Consortium.
In addition to Director of Finance at Lancaster University, Sarah is former Chair of the national British Universities Finance Directors Group (BUFDG), current Chair of the BUFDG Tax Group, a co-opted member and Chair of the Audit Committee of UCAS, a member of the national TRAC Development Group and Governor and Chair of the Finance and Audit Committee of Lancaster Girls’ Grammar School.
Sarah was awarded an MBE, for services to higher education, in the King's birthday honours list 2024.
The Vice-Chancellor's Executive Team is supported by the Vice-Chancellor's Office Administrative Team.
Download PDF: Lancaster University organisational structure
More about Lancaster University's senior roles:
The Chancellor is the ceremonial head of the University.
The Chancellor’s Ambassador role was created for former Chancellor Sir Chris Bonington.
The Pro-Chancellor is the Chair of the University's governing body, The Council.
Previous leaders of the University over the past six decades.
