A world-leading expert on the control and elimination of infectious diseases has been appointed as the University of Plymouth’s new Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation.
Professor Archie Clements will join the University in September from Curtin University in Western Australia, where he is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor in the Faculty of Health Sciences.
He has held senior academic leadership positions in higher education and health service settings for more than 15 years, having previously been Director of the Research School of Population Health and Professor of Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Australian National University (ANU) in Canberra.
During his career, he has been awarded more than £18million in research funding, and has published almost 300 peer-reviewed publications in leading medical research journals.
Professor Clements is also an advocate of both interdisciplinary and systems thinking approaches to research. In his current role, he established the Curtin enAble Institute which undertakes consumer-led research supporting people living with disability, poor mental health, or who are experiencing ageing, and enabling them to live the life of their choosing.
Before moving to Australia, Professor Clements began his research career at Imperial College London and the University of Glasgow, and has a PhD from the University of London.
Speaking about his forthcoming move to Plymouth, he said:
“I have had the privilege of visiting the University of Plymouth on a number of occasions. I am very much looking forward to joining an institution that makes such a strong contribution to the community as well as supporting local and national business, industry and government partners.
“Research has been a passion of mine throughout my academic career, and I believe it is one of the fundamental ways universities can have a positive impact on societies and economies. I also believe that the best universities strive to find solutions for the world's most complex challenges by harnessing expertise across disciplines.
“With that in mind, I am excited to learn more about the University of Plymouth’s diverse and important research contributions, and to help it improve in its research performance, while all the time enabling academics across the institution to reach their full potential as successful researchers.”
Announcing his appointment, Vice-Chancellor Professor Judith Petts CBE added:
“We are delighted to be welcoming Professor Clements to the University and this important role. He has an immensely strong research profile focused on global health challenges and impact. Combined with working experience in Australia as well as the UK, and major university leadership roles, this will enable him to both support and drive our research and innovation to achieve our strategic priorities.”
