Four prominent scholars from the US, Australia, Germany and Italy joined the University’s Global Chair scheme this academic year. As distinguished international visiting professors, their affiliation with Bath sees them build high-profile research partnerships and enhance our networks with universities and research institutes overseas.
A Global Chair appointment is usually for one academic year, but as the pandemic has restricted this year’s activities, the current Chairs will continue in their roles until 2022.
Professor John Warner
Global Chair Professor John Warner is a pioneer of green chemistry and one of the world’s most prominent proponents of sustainable technologies. He is Distinguished Professor at Monash University and co-founder of the Warner Babcock Institute for Green Chemistry. Hosted by the Centre for Sustainable and Circular Technologies (CSCT), Professor Warner is engaging with our academic community and industrial partners to develop creative solutions to global sustainability problems. His Global Chair is instrumental in facilitating our University’s Green Chemistry Commitment, a global initiative for embedding green chemistry principles into the undergraduate Chemistry curriculum.
Professor Heike Solga
Professor Heike Solga is Director of the research unit ‘Skill Formation and Labor Markets’ at WZB – Berlin Social Science Centre. She is one of the world’s most innovative researchers into ‘marginalised’ education and its impact on social mobility and labour market outcomes. Recognised both for her scholarship and engagement with policy and practice, she has lent support to our University’s high-profile research in social justice and education policy.
Professor Penny Jane Burke
Professor Penny Jane Burke is Director of the Centre of Excellence for Equity in Higher Education (CEEHE) at the University of Newcastle in Australia. She is an influential scholar and practitioner, whose expert advice has informed national policy and impacted practice at universities across the UK, Australia, and South Africa. Her Global Chair is helping to develop joint research for new, critical perspectives on gender equity in science, technology, engineering and maths (STEM). She is also focused on enriching our approaches to widening participation practice, for instance through the design of inclusive campus spaces and pedagogies.
Professor Alberto Minetti
Professor Alberto Minetti is a Distinguished Professor of Physiology at the University of Milan. Recognised internationally for his expertise in human locomotion – across basic science to application in sports, health, and clinical settings – his Global Chair is building on successful links with our Department for Health.