Professor Luc Moreau

The University of Sussex has appointed Professor Luc Moreau as Executive Dean of the new Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine from 2 September 2024.

Professor Moreau is Professor of Computer Science and the current Head of the Department of Informatics at King's College London.

Luc is an alumnus of the University of Liège in Belgium, having graduated with an Engineering (Computer Science) degree and then a PhD in Applied Science in 1994. In 1997, he began his academic journey as a lecturer of Computer Science at the University of Southampton’s Department of Electronics and Computer Science, where he became a Professor in 2004.

During his tenure at Southampton, Luc held various leadership roles including Deputy Head of Department (Research and Enterprise) and Head of the Web and Internet Science group. In 2017, Luc joined King's College London as the Head of the Department of Informatics, from which a new Engineering department was spun out two years later. Following this, Luc directed a strategic expansion of the Department of Informatics, enhancing its scope and capabilities. Additionally, he served as co-chair at the Heads of Department Forum, further contributing to the academic leadership at King’s College London.

Luc is widely renowned for his contributions to research on data provenance, which involves describing and reasoning about the origins of data to ensure their authenticity and usability. The relevance of provenance extends across virtually all fields that process and publish data. Consequently, Luc has collaborated with a diverse array of academic disciplines, including physics, chemistry, engineering, health, and law, as well as with industry partners and the public sector. Luc is a Fellow of the British Computer Society and of the Institution of Engineering and Technology.

Vice-Chancellor, Professor Sasha Roseneil, said: “Luc is not only a renowned academic in his sphere, he has proven himself an exceptional leader and facilitator of change. I am very much looking forward to him joining and I am certain that the new Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine will flourish in his care.”

Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, Professor Michael Luck, to whom the new Executive Deans will report, said: “Luc’s vision for the Faculty came across clearly throughout the recruitment process, and I am eager to work with him to take that forward in partnership with our academic disciplines. Having worked with him in the past, I know he has the skills and capabilities to make the new Faculty a great success.”

Luc said: “I am excited about the opportunity to join a forward-looking leadership team at the University of Sussex. There is a wealth of talent and great potential at Sussex, and I am keen to work with colleagues to establish a vibrant and multi-disciplinary new Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine.”

What is the role of Executive Dean of the Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine?

The new Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine will bring together the Schools of Engineering and Informatics, Life Sciences, Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Psychology into one Faculty, along with the Brighton and Sussex Medical School (BSMS).

The Executive Dean will provide academic leadership and management of the Faculty to deliver the University’s vision, mission, and strategic aims. The Heads of School will report to the new Executive Dean, with BSMS part of the Faculty but its Dean continuing to report to the Vice-Chancellors of the Universities of Sussex and Brighton. The new Faculty structure will facilitate the greater integration of the Medical School with the sciences at Sussex.

The Executive Deans of all four faculties will also take responsibility for substantial University-wide change activities that may impact all academic areas. They will work with the University Executive Team to deliver the academic mission of the University, assuming collective responsibility for its strategic direction, development, and performance.