University features

Professor Sasha Roseneil

Professor Sasha Roseneil, a globally-recognised interdisciplinary social scientist, today (Monday 1 August) takes up post as the University of Sussex’s Vice-Chancellor (VC).

Professor Roseneil, who is Sussex’s ninth VC, and the first woman to hold the post, joins from UCL, where she was Pro-Provost for Equity and Inclusion and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social and Historical Sciences. Before that, Professor Roseneil was Executive Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Essex, and held leadership positions at Birkbeck, University of London and the University of Leeds.  

Over more than 30 years as an academic, Professor Roseneil has developed an international reputation for her pioneering research on intimate relationships, citizenship, and social movements. Originally trained as a sociologist, and later as a group analyst and psychotherapist, she has played a leading role in establishing the interdisciplinary fields of Gender Studies and Psychosocial Studies.

Professor Roseneil said: 

 “I am hugely excited to join the University of Sussex in its sixtieth year and to become part of its creative and diverse community of staff, students, alumni and supporters.

“Sussex is a radically global university with a distinguished track record of ground-breaking research that aims to make the world a more equitable place. In scientific discovery and artistic endeavour, developing global policy and pushing forward technological innovation, people within the Sussex community are making a crucial difference to humanity, now and for the future.

“Sussex has inclusivity at our heart, and I am committed to embedding this spirit even further. Only in a richly inquisitive environment which fully embraces diversity of thought and opinion, background and identity, and in which everyone has a voice and a welcomed place, can learning and discovery truly thrive.

“Universities must continue to open our doors to a wider pool of students. We need to go further in ensuring that all who can benefit, whatever their background, are able to experience the transformative power of higher education.”

Dame Denise Holt, Chair of the University of Sussex’s Council, which is its governing body, said:

“I warmly welcome the arrival of Professor Roseneil as our ninth Vice-Chancellor. She brings a depth and breadth of experience in strategic leadership, and her commitment to interdisciplinarity, academic freedom, the widening of participation in education and the promotion of equality and diversity will resonate powerfully at Sussex.  

“Professor Roseneil joins soon after the University celebrated its Research Excellence Framework 2021 results, which found that 89% of Sussex research was world-leading or internationally excellent.  We are tenth in Europe for sustainability, according to the Times Higher Education Impact Ranking, and we intend to have the most biodiverse campus in the UK, and to be one of the most sustainable universities in the world.”

Professor Roseneil takes the reins from Professor David Maguire, who was the University of Sussex’s interim Vice-Chancellor since Professor Adam Tickell stepped down at the end of 2021 to take up his new post at the University of Birmingham. The University of Sussex’s Chancellor is actor and writer Sanjeev Bhaskar.

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