Dear All

I hope you managed to take some time to enjoy a restful Easter break and are making the most of the lighter evenings now that the clocks have gone forward.

Your Voice Matters

Tuesday 31 March saw the close of the annual Your Voice Matters Colleague Engagement Survey. I am pleased to share that our Faculty achieved a 52% response rate, which is a 3% increase on last year. Thank you to everyone who took the time to complete the survey, your feedback is truly appreciated.

The top-level results are due to be published in May and we will use the feedback to understand what is working well and how we can continue to improve the experiences of all our colleagues. We will also continue working with People Services and senior colleagues to develop local action plans in response to your feedback.

QS Subject Rankings

The QS World University Rankings by Subject 2026 were released at the end of March, ranking over 1,900 institutions across broad and specific subject areas. The Faculty performed very well and it was wonderful to see Development Studies, Architecture and Geography ranked in the world’s top 10. It is testament to the quality and reputation of our research.

While many subjects across the Faculty saw positive improvements, it is also important to acknowledge that a number experienced a decline from their 2025 positions. As part of From Manchester for the world, we will continue to strengthen our research and teaching and how this is captured in global rankings.

University budget meeting

I attended a day-long meeting of the University Executive on Friday 27 March to discuss the first version of the five-year budget plan. In the last slot of the day, Director of Faculty Finance Vicky Skinner, Interim Executive Director of Faculty Operations Emma Rose and I presented the Faculty of Humanities budget.

We discussed our projections for student numbers, fee setting, research income, pay costs and vacancy savings and other operating expenses. Not long after Easter, we will hear if we need to do any further revisions to our submission.

Students’ Union Essentials launch event

I was delighted to attend a recent event to celebrate the launch of Essentials, the Students’ Union’s new basic needs centre. It is an excellent initiative open to all students here at Manchester, offering access to essential items, a welcoming community space, full kitchen facilities and a variety of wellbeing sessions.

The event also offered valuable insights into the ever-changing challenges our students face. It certainly provided some food for thought about how we at the University must continue to adapt to support the needs of our students.

Recent distinguished lectures

I recently had the pleasure of attending two inspiring lectures, each reflecting our University’s deep commitment to engaging with the world around us. As part of the John Kennedy Lecture Series, former President of Ireland, Dr Mary McAleese, spoke to HE Martin Fraser, Ambassador of Ireland to Great Britain, on the role of Ireland in a changing world.

It was moving to hear Mary’s deeply personal reflections on growing up in Ireland during The Troubles. It was a very poignant talk for me too. My father was born in Northern Ireland, although he left Derry to join the Merchant Navy around 1950. He settled in London and Bournemouth where I grew up. He was deeply saddened by The Troubles which cast a shadow over all our lives.

Two weeks ago, I was privileged to speak at the Harry Street Lecture, where Attorney General Richard Hermer KC delivered a powerful speech about the importance of a rules-based national and international order at a time of turbulent geopolitics. As a proud Manchester graduate who studied Politics and Modern History for his first degree, his return to a city known for its history of speaking up felt especially meaningful.

Stan Metcalfe memorial event

On Monday, 30 March I was honoured to be involved in a special memorial event at AMBS to celebrate the life of Professor Stan Metcalfe. Colleagues, friends and family gathered for lunch, panel discussions on Stan’s enormous contribution to economics, innovation and science, and an evening drinks reception.

It was incredibly touching to hear about the impact Stan had on so many people’s lives and he will be remembered for his generosity, intellect and warmth. Stan has a special place in my heart as he was chair of the panel that interviewed me for a lectureship in Sociology back in 1994. I got the job! He loved to remind me of this.

New Associate Dean International

I would like to congratulate Dr Panos Sousounis who will be taking up the role of new Associate Dean International from Monday 1 June. Thank you again to Professor Angie Wilson who recently moved from this role to Associate Vice-President International. We will be sharing more news on other exciting appointments very soon.

Research funding achievements

As always, I am thrilled to hear about the many research successes from across the Faculty. Congratulations to Professor Sophie Woodward (SoSS) and her team of researchers, who have received UKRI funding of £969,462 for the ‘Air Spaces: getting the measure of air’ project which examines how communities experience air pollution in everyday life.

Professor Guyda Armstrong (SALC) is part of a team who have been awarded funding from Schmidt Sciences for the 'Envisioning Print with AI Computer Vision' project. Schmidt Sciences has awarded $11 million to 23 research teams around the world who are exploring new ways to connect AI and the humanities.

In AMBS, Professor Brian Nicholson, Dr Sung Hwan Chai and Dr Leonid Sokolovskyy secured an EPSRC IAA Advance Grant worth £22,232 for the next stage of their project ‘Scoping and Pilot: Driving Efficiency and Enhanced Quality: Embedding Generative AI in Accounting and Auditing Tasks’.

Professor Jose Antonio Puppim de Oliveira (SEED) has received a British Council workshop grant of £55,460 for the ‘Resilient Amazon Futures: Strengthening Food, Water, Forest, and Land Governance for Sustainable Development’ project.

In SoSS, Professor Rose Broad, Dr Caroline Miles, Professor David Gadd and Dr Reka Solymosi have been awarded £625,000 from UKRI’s Research and Development Missions Accelerator Programme to lead a project addressing violence against women and girls.

Congratulations to all.

I hope you enjoyed the long Easter weekend and maybe a few days more. I am enjoying warmer temperatures in Madrid and Toledo. See you soon.

Regards Fiona

Professor Fiona Devine, Vice-President and Dean, Faculty of Humanities