University of Manchester appoints next president and vice-chancellor

Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell will leave her post when her successor arrives in August

A professor of political philosophy will be the University of Manchester's next president and vice-chancellor.

Duncan Ivison, chosen after a global search, will take over from Professor Dame Nancy Rothwell in August when she steps down after 14 years.

Prof Ivison said Manchester University was a "research and teaching powerhouse" with "true heart and soul".

The Canadian academic's appointment will coincide with the university's bicentenary celebrations.

More than 40,000 students are enrolled at the university, one of the largest in the UK.

'Extraordinary honour'

The university can trace its origins to the establishment of a city institute that taught workers mechanics 200 years ago during the Industrial Revolution.

Prof Ivison said it was an "extraordinary honour" to join the institution "as it enters its third century".

Most recently he held the role of deputy vice-chancellor at the University of Sydney, and previously worked at universities in Toronto and York.

Philippa Hird, chair of the board of governors at The University of Manchester, said Prof Ivison had a "clear sense of the future for the university and an appetite to build on all that has been created to date".

"The scale and urgency of the challenges that our city, our region, and our world faces, requires universities like ours to harness our resources for the public good in new and innovative ways, and as never before," Prof Ivison said.

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