New VC for Lancaster University

Lancaster University has appointed an acclaimed scientist as its new boss.
Prof Andy Schofield has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor at Lancaster UniversityProf Andy Schofield has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor at Lancaster University
Prof Andy Schofield has been appointed as the new vice-chancellor at Lancaster University

Renowned theoretical physicist Professor Andy Schofield will be the new Vice-Chancellor.

A Cambridge graduate, he is currently Pro-Vice Chancellor and head of the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the University of Birmingham. He is also Professor of Theoretical Physics.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

When Prof Schofield joins Lancaster in May he will become only the university’s seventh Vice-Chancellor.

He said: "I am tremendously excited to be asked to serve as Lancaster University’s next Vice-Chancellor. It is an outstanding and ambitious university, renowned for its research, its high-quality teaching and its collegiality.

"I look forward to joining colleagues there as an academic as well as Vice-Chancellor as together we continue Lancaster’s success.”

Lancaster’s Pro-Chancellor Lord Liddle : “The appointing committee were unanimous in the decision to appoint Andy, who demonstrated that he shares the values and purpose of Lancaster University and has a clear vision for its future success.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

“Not only is he an outstanding academic and leader, but has acted as a champion for equality issues in his current role and is firmly committed to widening participation, equality, diversity and inclusion within universities - issues that Lancaster is working hard to address.”

Andy Schofield studied Natural Sciences at Gonville and Caius College, Cambridge where he graduated in 1989 winning the Mott prize for physics and the Schuldham Plate.

He stayed on in Cambridge where he undertook PhD research in the IRC for Superconductivity working on the theory of high temperature cuprate superconductors. He was elected a Research Fellow at Gonville and Caius College and obtained his PhD in 1993.

He then moved to the USA where he worked at Rutgers for two years, before returning to Cambridge. In 1997 Andy was awarded a Royal Society University Research Fellowship to work on theories of non-Fermi liquids. He became Assistant Director of Studies at Gonville and Caius College on the Natural Sciences Tripos.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

In 1999 Andy moved to the University of Birmingham and was promoted to Professor of Theoretical Physics in 2002.

That year he won the Institute of Physics' Maxwell Medal and Prize for work on the emergent properties of correlated electrons. From 2008-2010, Andy was Director of Research for the College of Engineering and Physical Science. In 2010 he became Head of School in the School of Physics and Astronomy before assuming his current role in 2015.