Professor John Brooks

Professor John Brooks took up his appointment as Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University on 1 September 2005. This follows seven years as the Vice-Chancellor of the University of Wolverhampton and previous posts at Sheffield Hallam University.

He gained his first degree in Physics from the University of Sheffield in 1970 and his PhD three years later. In 1998 he was awarded his DSc for his work in the Physics of Materials which spanned 25 years and resulted in more than 75 publications, three patents and 20 supervised PhDs. The patents enabled him to set up a joint venture company and gave him valuable insight into IPR exploitation and the ‘commercialisation of knowledge'.

His main interest has been the development of vocational education and the improvement of educational opportunities at all levels; under his leadership, the University of Wolverhampton came to be recognised as the pre-eminent English university for widening participation.

He has been instrumental in a variety of groups and committees. Nationally he was a member of the Good Management Practice Advisory Group to HEFCE, and is a member of the Teaching Quality and Lifelong Strategy Group for Universities UK and the Scrutiny Panel for Degree Awarding Powers and University Title for the QAA. For several years he chaired the New Universities Research Policy Committee and worked to increase recognition of the importance and value of research activity in New Universities amongst government and HEFCE research policy groups. He has also been heavily involved in both Health and Economic and Social Regeneration. He was a member of the Birmingham and the Black Country Strategic Health Authority and chaired the Black Country Health Review. He established the Wolverhampton-Telford Technology Corridor and was a member of the Regional Skills Partnership.