Message from the Vice-President and Dean

09 Mar 2026

This week, Fiona celebrates colleague recognition and appointments, reflects on International Women’s Day and an important MoU event, and looks forward to the opening of the Your Voice Matters survey.

Dear All

At a time when challenging geopolitics is not far from our minds, even on sunny days in early March, I thought I would start this message recognising the success of some of the many colleagues in the Faculty.

Recognition and appointments

Some great news hot off the press is that that five Faculty colleagues have become Fellows of the Academy of Social Sciences, highlighting the fundamental relevance of the field in widening our understanding of and solutions to the challenges facing societies.

Professor Lucy Frith (Law/SoSS) is a leading bioethicist whose work brings together sociolegal analysis and health research. She is internationally recognised for advancing empirical bioethics, particularly in relation to the social and ethical dimensions of reproductive donation and the governance of emerging reproductive technologies.

Professor James Pattison (Politics/SoSS) a scholar of international political theory, specialises in the ethical questions that arise in contexts of conflict and peace. His research examines moral responsibility in military action—from humanitarian intervention to private military force and economic sanctions—and his current work addresses ethical responses to rising authoritarianism and an increasingly uncertain global order.

Professor Elvira Uyarra (Innovation, Management & Policy/AMBS) is an influential figure in innovation studies, focusing on how public policy can stimulate innovation, drive regional economic change and support sustainability transitions. Her research highlights the role of public procurement and policy design in shaping long-term economic and social outcomes.

Professor Oliver Richmond (Politics/SoSS) is a prominent scholar in peace and conflict studies. His research explores peacebuilding, international intervention and post-conflict political arrangements, and he is well known for developing critical perspectives that foreground local agency and the concept of ‘hybrid peace’.

Professor Sam Hickey (GDI/SEED) is a leading authority on the political economy of development. His work analyses how political institutions, governance arrangements and elite incentives influence poverty reduction, social protection and inclusive growth, with a particular focus on African contexts.

I am pleased to announce the appointment of Dr Xiaobing Wang as Interim Director of the Manchester China Institute (MCI). He will also continue in his role as MCI Research Director, and as a Senior Lecturer in the Economics of China in the School of Social Sciences.

Xiaobing’s research focuses on growth and development, structural change and the Chinese economy, with a special interest in the role of the state in development and patterns of income distribution. He also has extensive media experience across television, radio and print, and is a regular commentator on the Chinese economy and wider global economic issues, including global imbalances and international development in Africa.

And congratulations to Alec Severs, who has been re-elected as Students’ Union Faculty of Humanities Executive Officer for a second year. I have greatly enjoyed  working alongside Alec and I have appreciated his thoughtful advocacy on behalf of our students. I look forward to working with him over the year ahead.

Teaching and learning innovations

Academic and PS colleagues across the Faculty continue to make improvements to teaching and learning as part of a wide range of activities focused on enhancing our student experience. One significant undertaking recently launched is our new Course Unit Framework, a major five-year project designed to refresh and streamline our undergraduate and postgraduate curricula.

The framework sets out clear principles to help Schools create subject programmes that offer coherent choice for students, support academic excellence, and ensure sustainable delivery. Implementation will be led locally by Schools, with Directors of Teaching and Learning coordinating activity over the phased rollout from 2025/26 to 2030/31. A practical online guide is now available to support colleagues, bringing together key principles, examples and tools that will continue to be updated as the work progresses.

In SALC, a new approach to naming undergraduate languages degrees has been introduced for September 2027 entry. The ‘umbrella model’ will mean that new students looking to study a language at Manchester will apply to a programme with ‘Modern Languages’ in the title. For example, BA (Hons) Modern Languages (French) will be the new degree title for BA (Hons) French Studies.

The change makes it easier for prospective students and parents/carers to understand the course options available, and does not affect existing students currently enrolled on languages programmes. There is no change to the number of languages that we will offer, and we will continue to be a leading university for the study of modern languages and cultures in the UK as one of the few institutions continuing to teach nine languages.

The development of the Course Unit Framework and the languages umbrella model has taken a huge amount of effort from many PS and academic colleagues across our Schools and Faculty, and I would like to thank everyone involved for their commitment and dedication. I am excited to watch this work progress over the coming months and years.

Médecins Sans Frontiѐres MoU

Our role in helping tackle the most urgent challenges facing the world has never been more important, and I was privileged to attend last Tuesday the signing ceremony of a new memorandum of understanding (MoU) between the University and international medical aid organisation Médecins Sans Frontiѐres (MSF).

For the next four years, the University will continue to take on cohorts of MSF staff for blended learning through the Leadership Education Academic Partnership (LEAP) programme in humanitarian practice, a collaboration between the Faculty’s Humanitarian and Conflict Response Institute (HCRI), the Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine and MSF.

The new partnership will build on the strengths of staff exchange by encouraging shared input into MSF’s research and development projects, as well as creating joint seminars and events. Colleagues from both organisations will also work more closely together through shared roles on key committees and groups.

International Women’s Day celebration

I was delighted to gather with colleagues and students from across the University last Wednesday for a celebration of International Women’s Day. Guest speaker Kate Green, Deputy Mayor of Greater Manchester, spoke about the importance of celebrating the day while knowing there is so more to do. Our Athena Swan Charter work remains very importance of course.

I then joined University Executive colleagues for a wide-ranging panel discussion and Q&A. The session was brilliant and it was such an inspirational afternoon overall. Personally, it was lovely to see many academic and professional staff from Humanities attend the networking event and sessions. Long may this continue.

Your Voice Matters survey opens tomorrow

We are just one day away from the launch of the Your Voice Matters Colleague Engagement Survey. Tomorrow you will receive an email with a link to the survey  and I would encourage you to complete it. It should only take a few minutes, and your feedback on your experience of working at the University is vital in helping us understand what colleagues most value about being part of our community, and highlights where we can continue to improve.

Making sure we take time to recognise our colleagues is just one way we can make the University a great place to work. Friday was National Employee Appreciation Day, a handy reminder for us all to think about acknowledging the support and work of people in our teams and further afield.

A Purple Place eCard is a quick and easy way to show your appreciation to a colleague, and it can mean a lot. It is something we can do any day – there is no need to wait for an official day or a big achievement to make sure you let colleagues know how much you value them!

We always talk about how people make the University the special place that it is. Your voice genuinely matters and we really want to hear what you want to say.

Thank you!

Regards Fiona