Professor Phil Taylor FREng CEng FHEA Vice-Chancellor and President
The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Phil Taylor, is both the academic leader and chief executive of the University.
Contact details
vice-chancellor@bath.ac.uk +44 (0)1225 386782
Role
Professor Phil Taylor was appointed as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University on 1 August 2024. He is the eighth Vice-Chancellor since the University received its Royal Charter in 1966.
Related posts
- Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), 2024
- Chartered Engineer (CEng)
- Fellow, Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET)
- Senior Member, IEEE (SMIEEE)
- Fellow, Higher Education Academy (FHEA)
- Fellow, Chinese Society of Electrical Engineering (FCSEE)
- Honorary Professor, Tsinghua University, Beijing
- Honorary Professor, Xi'an Jiaotong University
Career
Professor Phil Taylor is a globally respected leader in energy systems, bringing more than three decades of pioneering research, industrial innovation, and strategic leadership to the field.
In 2024, he joined the University of Bath as Vice-Chancellor, building on a distinguished career that spans senior roles across UK higher education and industry. Before joining Bath, he served as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Bristol (2020–2024), where he shaped the university’s research strategy and drove major programmes in innovation and enterprise.
Phil leads the EPSRC Supergen Energy Networks Hub and was the Senior Responsible Owner for Isambard-AI, a £225m government-backed project to build the UK’s fastest AI supercomputer.
He was appointed by Patrick Vallance to the Net Zero Innovation Board, which he served on for three years until 2026.
Phil’s earlier academic career is rooted in major contributions to sustainable energy research. At Newcastle University, he held roles including Dean and Director of the Institute for Sustainability, Head of the School of Engineering, and Deputy Faculty Pro Vice-Chancellor. During this time, he was appointed the Siemens Chair of Energy Systems, reflecting his international reputation in the field. His academic journey began at Durham University in 2004, where he co-founded the renowned Durham Energy Institute and was the first Dong Energy (now Ørsted) Chair in Renewable Energy. Before entering academia, Phil built a strong industrial foundation through roles at GEC Alstom, EPS (UK), Teradyne, and Senergy Econnect, where he served as Research and Development Director.
A prolific contributor to the field, Phil has co-authored six books, published widely in leading journals for more than 25 years, and is listed as an inventor on a patent for a novel control system for permanent magnet actuators used in medium voltage switchgear.
Education
Phil Taylor received an Engineering Doctorate and Postgraduate Diploma in Management Sciences from the University of Manchester Institute of Sciences and Technology in 2001 and a First Class degree in Electrical & Electronic Engineering from Liverpool John Moores University in 1993.