New Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Natural Sciences
Keele’s core values such as its dedication to its distinctive curriculum, commitment to high quality research and its leading position in national student satisfaction means that the University is well-placed to thrive in this new world of Higher Education.
Keele alumnus, Professor Jonathan Wastling, currently Professor of Infection Biology and Head of the Department of Infection Biology in the Institute of Infection and Global Health at the University of Liverpool, is set to return to his alma mater as the new Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Natural Sciences.
Professor Wastling, who graduated from Keele with a joint honours BSc in Chemistry and Biology and holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen, said: "It is a tremendous honour and privilege to be asked to take on this role and I am looking forward to it enormously.
“Higher education is entering a very challenging, yet exciting period; Keele’s core values such as its dedication to its distinctive curriculum, commitment to high quality research and its leading position in national student satisfaction means that the University is well-placed to thrive in this new world of Higher Education. I am looking forward to being part of it.”
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Nick Foskett, said: "The role of the Pro Vice-Chancellor and Academic Dean is crucial in the ongoing growth and success of Keele. Professor Wastling has considerable ability to provide academic leadership and ensure the continued success and strategic development of the University. Professor Wastling will be an excellent addition to the senior management team at Keele and will give strong and supportive leadership to the Faculty of Natural Sciences."
Professor Wastling began his career as a Government Research Scientist in the Department of Biochemistry at the Moredun Research Institute, Edinburgh, were he worked on the development of novel vaccines for farm animals, before moving as a Research Fellow to the Faculty of Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. In 1995 Professor Wastling was awarded a Personal Research
Fellowship by the Royal Society of Edinburgh to work at the Centre for Tropical Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh on the molecular biology of host manipulation by parasites, later taking his Fellowship to the Institute of Biomedical and Life Sciences at the University of Glasgow where he was appointed Lecturer and then Senior Lecturer. At Glasgow he pioneered some of the earliest experiments in proteomics, applying them for the first time to help understand fundamental mechanisms of host-pathogen interactions.
In 2004 he joined the University of Liverpool as a Reader in the Faculty of Veterinary Science and was appointed to a Personal Chair in 2008, taking up the position of Head of the Department of Veterinary Preclinical Science. In 2011 Professor Wastling became Head of the Department of Infection Biology in the newly formed Institute for Infection and Global Health, leading a department that has developed a strong international reputation in veterinary infectious disease and systems biology of pathogens. He is a member of BBSRC’s Food Security Strategic Advisory Panel, advising on aspects of animal health, welfare and food security and is an Editor of Parasitology. Professor Wastling also has a strong interest in the role of higher education in international development, serving for six years a Commissioner at the UK Commonwealth Scholarship Commission and as Chair of Awards Policy.
Professor Wastling will be joining Keele in the spring of 2015.