New Pro-Vice-Provost (Regional) network members announced
30 October 2018
Seven UCL academics have this week been confirmed as Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts until 2021
![New UCL PVPRs](https://www.ucl.ac.uk/global/sites/global/files/styles/large_image/public/new_pvprs_october_2018.png?itok=a7mPP7pq)
A new network of Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts has been confirmed until 2021, with three new academics joining three UCL colleagues who have been reappointed for a second term.
Continuing in their roles for a second and final term are Professor Brad Karp (North America), Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu (Africa and the Middle East) and Director Katharine Carruthers (East Asia). Dr Uta Staiger will continue her first term as Pro-Vice-Provost (Europe) until 2021.
Joining them are newly appointed Professor Monica Lakhanpaul (South Asia), Professor Claudio Stern (South East Asia and Australasia) and Professor Stephen Hart (Latin America).
UCL’s network of seven Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts work with the Vice-Provost (International), Pro-Vice-Provost (International) and Vice-Deans (International) and colleagues across the university to bring the Global Engagement Strategy, a principal theme of UCL 2034, to life.
Building on successes
Commenting on her reappointment, Professor Ijeoma Uchegbu, Professor of Pharmaceutical Nanoscience at the UCL School of Pharmacy, said: “I am really pleased to be reappointed as Pro-Vice-Provost for Africa and the Middle East. The reappointment will enable us to build on our successes so far, and create some new ones.
“We have the largest and most engaged regional network in UCL, having tripled the membership to over 500 members.
“We have a lively timetable of symposia, newsletters and funding call circulars, and we are working hard to create one of the first institutional partnerships between an institution on the African continent and a Russell Group university.”
Range of institutions and cultures
Newly-appointed Professor Claudio Stern, Professor of Anatomy and Vice-Dean (International) at the Faculty of Life Sciences, also welcomed news of his appointment.
He said: “I am very pleased to be appointed as Pro-Vice Provost (Regional) for South-East Asia and Australasia. There are enormous opportunities for engagement with this large and extremely diverse region.
“It will be challenging but very exciting to work across all disciplines and to explore common interests between UCL and such a large range of institutions and cultures.”
Professor Stephen Hart, echoed this statement. He said: “I'm really looking forward to working with the team in the Vice-Provost (International) Office, forging new and dynamic partnerships in Chile and Mexico, and drawing inspiration from the UK's world-renowned track in Soft Power to do so.
“The aim here is to build bridges between nations, just as the Argentine World Cup winner, Ossie Ardiles, told me in in an interview held in Salamanca last week.”
Accelerating the process of discovery
Commenting on the new appointments, Dame Nicola Brewer, UCL Vice-Provost (International) said: “Bringing together diverse perspectives and disciplines speeds up the process of discovery, and UCL’s Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts play a crucial role in enabling colleagues from different faculties and stages in their careers to come together to do just that.
She added: “I’d like to thank both our outgoing and reappointed Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts for all of their hard work and enthusiasm in developing global partnerships, supporting the wider academic community to strengthen existing collaborations and supporting UCL’s efforts to address pressing global issues. I’d also like to welcome our new Regional Pro-Vice-Provosts to our global engagement academic networks.”