Lancaster University has named its next vice-chancellor.
Professor Steve Decent, currently principal and vice-chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University, will join Lancaster on January 1 2026, becoming the eighth person to take the role.
He takes up the baton from Professor Andy Schofield, who will leave or the University of Glasgow in September this year.
His deputy Professor Rebecca Lingwood will be interim vice-chancellor.
Professor Decent, who is also chair of Universities Scotland’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee, will be a familiar face to some at Lancaster as the former pro-vice chancellor for research and enterprise from 2014 and from 2019, pro vice-chancellor for academic development.
He has also held senior roles across a number of other UK universities including Provost and deputy vice-chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University as well as vice principal and head of college of the College of Art, Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee.
During Professor Decent’s time at Lancaster University he led the creation of the new research institutes, and oversaw the increase in the quality and volume of research and the preparation for REF 2021.
Lancaster University’s appointing committee said they were "especially impressed with the sense of leadership and vision which Professor Decent presented during a time of challenge for the Higher Education sector in the UK, coupled with an inclusive approach to the role which reflected the University’s values".
“I am excited to be returning to Lancaster University as vice-chancellor," said Professor Decent.
"I greatly enjoyed my time at the university and I can see that Lancaster’s brilliant staff and students have continued to deliver excellent education and research in the years since I left the university. I look forward to getting to know everyone in the months ahead of my start, to listening to staff, students and stakeholders, and co-creating an exciting future for Lancaster University.”
Rt Hon Alistair Burt, pro-chancellor at Lancaster University, said: “Professor Decent has shown impressive leadership, energy and vision and a deep understanding of Lancaster’s values and culture.
"We look forward to welcoming him back to the university where he left such a lasting mark. Lancaster University embarks on its next chapter in capable hands.”
Having graduated with a BSc in Mathematics at Brunel University and a PhD at the University of St Andrews, Professor Decent moved to the University of Birmingham as a Research Fellow in 1995, followed by being a lecturer, before becoming Professor of Applied Mathematics and later the head of School of Mathematics.
He then took on the additional role of director of research and knowledge transfer in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.
Professor Decent is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its applications, and specialises in research on free-surface flows, including liquid jets and water waves. He also has a keen interest in hydrogen fuel cells.
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