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Professor Ian Blair

Pro Vice-Chancellor Sustainability and Executive Dean of the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences (HELS)

Professor Ian Blair joined Birmingham City University (BCU) in 2007 and is currently the Pro Vice-Chancellor Sustainability and Executive Dean for the Faculty of Health, Education and Life Sciences. 

Ian’s responsibility as PVC Sustainability ensures an environmental focus underlines everything we do at BCU. He provides a strategic steer as the University works to achieve its aims outlined within the University’s strategy, including the net zero target. As Executive Dean of the Faculty of HELS, Ian provides academic and strategic leadership in education, research, enterprise, and professional practice together with effective people, operational and financial management.  Ian led the BCU Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission in 2014 and again in 2021 ensuring the return to the University from these national audit exercises were optimised.

Prior to joining BCU, he was Head of the School of Health Sciences at the University of Ulster. Ian worked at the University of Ulster for almost 25 years as a lecturer, senior lecturer and reader, and was awarded his personal professorial chair in 2004.

Ian graduated with a BSc in Environmental Health from the Ulster Polytechnic.  After working as an Environmental Health Officer for a year in the London Borough of Hillingdon, he returned to Higher Education to undertake Doctoral Level study in microbiology at the University of Ulster.  Ian’s research interests remain in microbiology. He has an established researcher profile having secured funding from industry, the public sector, and the EU, supervised 27 PhDs to completion, and published over 120 peer-reviewed academic papers.

Ian serves on several regional Boards and Committees, the majority of which are within the Local Health Economy, and he was previously part of the National Executive of the Council of Deans of Health for 6 years. He has served for maximum terms on the Boards of Governors in three West Midlands based NHS Foundation Trusts.