He can therefore bring experience of embedding sustainability in an organisation’s strategy, provide advice on how to engage all staff (from junior colleagues and students, right up to executive/board level), and has been the executive lead on a number of major sustainability projects. Most importantly, he has been a key driver for improving institutional performance (e.g. taking London South Bank University from 128th to 68th in the Guardian league tables, and overseeing substantial improvements in student satisfaction and financial viability at Keele and London), whilst delivering major commitments and achievements in sustainability.
Patrick has been a highly active HE teacher and researcher (>100 papers in medicinal chemistry), holding academic posts at York, Heriot-Watt and Manchester Universities. He has taken on senior management roles at Manchester (Associate Dean for Teaching, 2004-2007), Dean of Natural Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Environment & Sustainability at Keele (2008-2014), and Provost/Deputy Vice-Chancellor of London South Bank University (2014-2021). Since then, he has carried out consultancy work on senior leadership, education in HE, executive appointments, and sustainability projects.
His teaching has been recognised by a number of awards, including his appointment as a National Teaching Fellow in 2005, and he was a member of the national TEF Panel that assessed the quality of educational provision at HE level (2016-2020) He is a passionate supporter of widening access and participation in HE, and his outreach activities and commitment to sharing science with the wider community led to him receiving the BSA Lord Kelvin Award in 1999. He has a strong commitment to the principles of ‘sustainability’ and ‘social justice’, and his contribution to this was recognised through his Green Gown Leadership Award in 2014.
When not working, he enjoys reading fiction, walking his border collies in the Peak District, and rock climbing.