Vice-Chancellor: Professor David Phoenix

Professor David Phoenix is Vice-Chancellor of The Open University prior to which he was Vice Chancellor of London South Bank University (LSBU) and Chief Executive of the LSBU Group. He has been a Board member of sector wide bodies such as Universities UK where he was the funding policy lead and the National Centre for Universities and Business. He was appointed by the Prime Minister to the Board of the Science Museum Group where he served as Vice Chair.

In addition to research papers, edited collections and research monographs he has provided thought leadership on tertiary education and was a Commissioner for Labours’ Life Long Learning Commission. He was elected to Fellowship of the Academy of Social Sciences and is an Honorary Research Fellow in the Department of Education, University of Oxford and a Visiting Fellow of Kellogg College.

His research into soft matter is muti-disciplinary and has focused on the biomedical potential of amphiphilic molecules leading to the award of a higher doctorate (DSc) by Liverpool University. He has held Visiting Chairs in Russia, China and the UK, including Kings College London, and was elected to Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering

He holds a number of Honorary degrees and has been awarded Fellowships by the Royal College of Physicians (Edinburgh), The Institution of Engineering and Technology, The Royal Society of Chemistry, The Royal Society of Biology, The Institute of Mathematics and Its Applications and the Royal Society of Medicine. He was awarded an OBE for his work on science and higher education and is a Deputy Lieutenant for Greater London