Professor Barnett has been Vice Chancellor of the University since April 2006.

He joined the University in September 1990 on his appointment to the Professorship in Public Finance and Management and has held appointments as Head of School, Dean, and Pro Vice Chancellor (Teaching and Learning). From November 2004 to March 2006 he was Acting Vice Chancellor of the University.

Prior to joining the University Professor Barnett held academic appointments at the Universities of Salford and York and at the Queen’s University, Ontario. He has also held the Vivienne Stewart Visiting Fellowship at the University of Cambridge and been a Visiting Scholar at Wolfson College, Cambridge. His publications focus on the applied aspects of economics, especially inter-governmental fiscal relations.

Professor Barnett is currently a Non-Executive Director of Bombardier Aerospace (Belfast), Chairman of Universities Ireland, a Member of the Board of the Northern Ireland Science Park Foundation, a Member of the Department for Employment and Learning’s Employment and Skills Advisory Group, and a Member of the CBI’s Northern Ireland Council. Previously he has been a Director of UCAS, A Director of ILEX, the Derry~Londonderry Urban Regeneration Company, a Member of the Northern Ireland Higher Education Council, and a Member of the Northern Ireland Committee of the British Council. In 2008/09 he chaired the Independent Review of Economic Policy set up by the Minister for Enterprise, Trade and Investment.

Professor Barnett is a member of the Institute of Directors and a companion of the Chartered Management Institute.

Professor Alastair Adair was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor in summer 2008. Previously he held positions as Head of the School of the Built Environment and inaugural Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment. He is also Professor of Property Investment. His research interests include the dynamics of urban development and property market performance, financial aspects of development and investment appraisal financing of urban regeneration, and international valuation. In 2008 he was awarded the Richard Ratcliff Award by the American Real Estate Society “in recognition of his distinguished record of international achievement and research leadership in the areas of valuation and urban regeneration and for the advancement of the property discipline”.

In 2008 he was appointed by Minister Murphy to the Northern Ireland DRD Regional Development Strategy Review Working Group. In 2007 he was appointed by Minister Ritchie as Chair of the DSD Advisory Panel of Experts for Implementation of Sir John Semple’s Review of Affordable Housing.

Professor Adair is a member of the UK Research Excellence Framework 2014 Architecture, Built Environment and Planning Sub-Panel 16 and was also a member of RAE 2008.He is a Fellow of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors and Chair of the RICS Northern Ireland and a Past President of the Irish Auctioneers and Valuers Institute.

Responsibilities: Corporate & institutional communications & public affairs (including the Press Office); Development (including the University of Ulster Foundation); Alumni Relations; Community Relations and Greater Belfast Development. As campus Provost for Jordanstown and Belfast, Professor Adair also has responsibility for oversight of the general affairs of the campus including: service standards; pastoral care of students and staff; interaction with the wider community and – with the Department of Communication & Development - internal communication, social, cultural and promotional events.

Anne Moran is Professor of Education and was Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences at the University of Ulster from 2002-2010. Formerly she was Head of the School of Education. She joined the University in 1985 as a lecturer having spent 13 years as a senior teacher in a secondary school in Belfast. In 2008 she was awarded an OBE for services to higher education.

Her research interests are teacher education and inclusive education and she has contributed significantly to policy formulation and research in Northern Ireland in both these areas. In the sphere of teacher education she has worked with the two Departments who hold responsibility for teacher education (Department of Education & Department for Employment and Learning) over a period of 15 years, spanning two major reviews of teacher education, including the initial, induction, early professional development and CPD phases. A further interest and the subject of recent publications (2008) relates to the issue of widening access to initial teacher education. Her most recent research award has been a grant of approximately £100,000 from the British Council (DelPHE scheme) (2010) for a three year project entitled Developing More Effective School-HEI Partnerships in Initial Teacher Education with Universidade Eduardo Mondlane in Mozambique, Chancellor College, University of Malawi and Makerere University in Uganda.

Professor Moran is deputy chair of the National Qualifications Authority Ireland (NQAI) and chair of the Irish African Partnership Executive Committee. She is a member of the Literacy and Numeracy Taskforce established by the Department of Education NI and was formerly a member of the Review Body on Post Primary Education and co-chair of the Standing Conference on Teacher Education in the north and south of Ireland.

Responsibilities: Widening Participation; Access and Distributed Learning including eLearning; Educational Partnerships; International Affairs; Student Support; Students’ Union Liaison; Ulster Educational Partnerships Ltd.

Dr Hugh McKenna, is Professor and, until recently, Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences at the University of Ulster. His professional background is in general and psychiatric nursing. He has over 200 publications including 10 books and over £3 million in grants. He has supervised 15 PhD students to successful completion. He is an editor of ‘International Journal of Nursing Studies’ and is a Fellow of the Royal College of Nursing (FRCN), Fellow of the European Academy of Nursing (FEAN) and Fellow of the Faculty of Nursing, Royal College of Surgeons of Ireland, (FRCSI). In 2008 he was made Commander of the British Empire (CBE) for his work on health and community. He sits on national/international committees for three charities, four research funding bodies and five editorial boards. In 2009 he obtained the University’s Senior Distinguished Research Fellowship and made a Fellow of the American Academy of Nursing (FAAN) – only the third nurse in Europe to be given this honour. He chairs the mental health monitoring group which and reports directly to the Minister of Health. He also chairs the Research Excellence Framework sub panel for nursing, allied health professions, pharmacy and dentistry. His research interests include doctoral education, suicide prevention, and the health care workforce.. 

He is married to a nurse, has two children and enjoys genealogy, reading and travel.

Responsibilities: Research Office; Research Planning and Policy; Research Students; Research Quality Enhancement and Monitoring; Research Grants and Contracts; Research Governance; Research Excellence Framework (REF); Non-Research Grants and Contracts; Innovation Ulster Limited (including Intellectual Property; Campus Companies; Licensing/Royalties; Consultancy); Office of Innovation; KTP (Knowledge Transfer Partnership); Regional Services.

Professor Denise McAlister assumed responsibilities as Pro-Vice Chancellor (Teaching and Learning) at the University of Ulster in September 2005. Previous to this she held positions as Head of School, School of Public Policy, Economics and Law and Dean of the Faculties of Business and Management and Social Sciences and Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Quality Assurance and Enhancement). She is also Professor of Health Policy and her research interests and expertise include economic appraisal and evaluation, the economics of contracting and the role of the user in health policy evaluation. Previous research projects include work on attitudes to euthanasia and the costs of pharmacological care of the elderly.

She has held a number of public appointments including, membership of the Ministerial Advisory Board, Water Service (NI), the National Board for Nursing, Midwifery and Health Visiting, interim chair ERINI, membership of the Governing Body of BIFHE and a Board Member of the Northern Ireland Public Sector Enterprises Ltd (NI-CO), Department of Trade and Investment; she is currently chair of the Examinations Board, PSNI and Ulster Educational Partnerships Ltd. She has undertaken consultancy projects in performance measurement and economic appraisal for a wide range of government departments and public sector organisations, and provided policy relevant advice to Ministers, CEOs and civil servants

Professor McAlister was awarded a CBE in the 2010 New Year’s Honours for services to higher education in Northern Ireland.

Responsibilities: Academic Planning; Academic Office; Career Development Centre; Staff Development; Student Marketing & Employability; Quality Management and Audit Unit.

Irene Aston, who was appointed Director in 2000, joined the University in 1985.  She has held a number of planning-related roles and has contributed to the development and implementation of many of the University’s major projects. Irene holds a BSc Hons degree in geology from Queen's University, Belfast.

Responsibilities: University Secretariat; General Legal Affairs; Data Protection; Equality and Diversity Policy and Practice; Freedom of Information; Child Protection; Ceremonial; Corporate and Operational Planning; and Risk Management.

Peter Hope was educated at the University of Stirling, where he was awarded a BA Hons in Accountancy. In addition, he was awarded a Masters in Business Administration from the University of Ulster in 1995. He trained as a Chartered Accountant with Deloitte and Touche and is currently a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in Ireland. He joined the University in 1991 as Head of Internal Audit. He was appointed Director of Finance in 2003 and took on the position of Chief Finance and Information Officer in 2010.

He is member of the Northern Ireland Science Park Audit Committee and a member of the North Western Universities Purchasing Consortium Board of Directors.

Responsibilities: Finance & Planning (including Income & Treasury Management; Expenditure; Financial Accounting; Management Accounting; Purchasing; Salaries & Wages; Pensions; Financial Strategy, Policy Planning; Investment; Taxation; External Audit, Internal Audit, student statistics including student data, statutory returns; academic courses and student numbers planning; performance monitoring; sectoral research; institutional benchmarking; provision of management information; systems maintenance and development); Information Services (covering academic and administrative computing, digital communications, media-technology services and reprographic services); Student Administration and Library.

Janice Moore

Responsibilities: Human Resource Services (including Recruitment and Selection; Recruitment Administration; HR IT Systems; Grievance and Discipline; Industrial Tribunals); Employee Relations (including HR Employment Policy, Practice and Procedures; Consultation and Negotiation; Pay and Reward; Promotion and Advancement; Probation; Job Evaluation; Organizational Change); Health and Safety (including Occupational Health Service; Health and Safety Policy, Practice and Procedures).

Patrick Donnelly is Director of Physical Resources. He joined the University on 1993, having previously worked in private practice and the Estates Directorate of Queen's University, Belfast. A native of Ballycastle, he is married with five children, and is a member of the British Institute of Facilities Management and the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. Mr Donnelly is responsible to the Vice-Chancellor for the strategic planning, management and development of all aspects of the University Estate and its associated services.

Responsibilities: Estates Planning, (including Strategy, Space Management, Project Management and Central Timetabling); Estates (including Building and Grounds Maintenance and Management and Design Services); Facilities Services (including Cleaning, Portering, Security), Catering, Residential Services and the Conference Office.

Professor Robert Hutchinson is Provost and Dean of Campus Development at Coleraine. Professor Hutchinson was the first graduate of the University to be appointed to a lectureship position in 1974. He was awarded a senior lectureship in 1985 and Professor of Business Finance in 1996. In 1999 he was appointed Head of the Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services and in 2001 became Dean of the Ulster Business School, with overall responsibility for business and management teaching within the largest Business Faculty in Britain and Ireland across the four University of Ulster campuses.

Robert is a graduate of both Universities of Ulster and Warwick.

His research interests are in Banking and Finance. He has acted as advisor to a number of professional banking and financial bodies and, as a Visiting Research Fellow at the Central Bank of Ireland, produced a definitive report on the future of the Irish Financial Services Sector. He has been external examiner at Cranfield University, and was external examiner in Economics at Trinity College Dublin, and the University of Leicester. He is currently a member of the Royal Irish Academy's National Committee for Research in Economics and Social Sciences.

Responsibilities: As Dean of Campus Development at Coleraine, Robert oversees the Vice-Chancellor’s future vision for the campus. He also promotes the business support infrastructure for the region. As Provost, Robert is responsible for enhancing the work and student study environment. In this role he oversees the general affairs of the campus including: service standards; pastoral care of students and staff; and University interaction with the wider community. He has special responsibility for the Riverside Theatre and together with the Department of Communication and Development has responsibility relating to internal communication, social, cultural and promotional events.

Professor Deirdre Heenan is Dean of Academic Development for the University of Ulster’s Magee Campus. In this role Professor Heenan spearheads the implementation of the Magee Strategic Development Plan and oversees increased course provision and student enrolments on the campus.

Deirdre has built a distinguished career in academic life in the field of social policy and has developed strong links and partnerships within the public, private and voluntary sectors. In 2008 she was awarded a 9 month fellowship under the ESRC researcher placement scheme. Under this scheme, she was seconded to OFMDFM to work on policy to support the inclusion of older people in Northern Ireland.

Deirdre is a respected researcher, author and broadcaster. Educated at the University of Ulster, she was appointed to a lectureship in 1995. She became a senior lecturer in 2003, a Reader in 2005 and a Professor in 2007. In 2001 she was awarded a Distinguished Teaching Award and this was followed by a National Teaching Fellowship from the Higher Education Academy in 2006. A member of the Social and Policy Research Institute, she has published extensively in national and international journals. She is a co-founder and former co-director of the Northern Ireland Life and Times Survey.

A native of County Down, Deirdre lives in Derry with her husband and three sons.

Responsibilities: As Dean of Academic Development for the University’s Magee Campus, Deirdre works directly with the Vice Chancellor in delivering the Magee Strategic Development Plan. Proposed developments for the Magee Campus include; creation of an Institute of Sustainable Technologies, creation of an Institute of Health and Well Being, expansion of Computing Electronics and Software, expansion of Creative Technologies and Animation and expansion of Business and Professional Services. As Provost, Deirdre also has responsibility for oversight of the general affairs of the campus including: service standards; pastoral care of students and staff; interaction with the wider community and (along with the Department of Communication and Development) internal communication, social, cultural and promotional events.

Professor Pól Ó Dochartaigh is Dean of the Faculty of Arts. He joined the University in 1994, having previously studied and worked in East and West Germany, Wales, England and united Berlin. He was appointed Professor of German in 2005. He is married to Geraldine and they have twin daughters.

A native of Belfast, Pól holds a BA Hons in German from Cardiff, a PhD in German Literature from Nottingham and a BA Hons in Irish from Ulster. His main research interests are German-Jewish literature and history, especially anti-Semitism and the legacy of the Holocaust, and also the German involvement in Celtic Studies. He has authored four books, edited five collections of essays and published 40+ research papers. Before becoming Dean he was Director of the Humanities Research Institute at the University.

Pól was elected a Member of the Royal Irish Academy in 2010 and is also a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society. He is currently President of the Association for German Studies in Great Britain and Ireland and a member of the Modern Languages and Linguistics sub-panel for the UK’s Research Excellence Framework 2014. He previously served as Chair of the Royal Irish Academy Committee for Modern Language, Literary and Cultural Studies (2004-8) and as a member of the RAE 2008 Sub-Panel for German, Dutch and Scandinavian Studies.

When not working he enjoys spending time with his young family and reading just about anything of quality.

Responsibilities: Dean of the Faculty of Arts which comprises the School of Creative Arts; School of English and History; School of Languages and Cultures; School of Media, Film and Journalism; Research Graduate School.

Professor Ian Montgomery was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Art, Design and the Built Environment in summer 2008. He was previously Head of the School of Art and Design and Director of the Research Institute for Art and Design. Ian joined the University in 1991 as an Associate Lecturer in Design, having previously worked in professional practice. He holds a BA (Hons) and a DPhil in Design, both from the University of Ulster. He was appointed Professor of Design in 2005. His main research interests are in the areas of design theory, knowledge transfer, and design perception.

Ian is a member of Council of the Arts Council of Northern Ireland and a Management Board member of the Higher Education Academy’s Art Design and Media Subject Centre. He is also a member of the Executive Committee of the Council for Higher Education in Art and Design and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.

Ian is interested in the area of sustainable development and project partnerships across a broad range of constituencies. He enjoys spending time with his family and watching cricket.

Responsibilities: School of Art and Design; School of Architecture and Design; School of the Built Environment; and the Research Graduate School.

Professor Richard Millar is Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Engineering. He accepted a lectureship in Computing Science at the University of Ulster in 1989 and was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1996. Before taking up his current position in 2004, Richard was Head of the School of Computing and Mathematics from 2000-2003 and then Associate Dean of the Faculty of Engineering. His teaching and research interests are in image compression, image processing and software engineering. He is active as a Fellow of the British Computer Society: a former member of Council, a moderator for the Society’s professional examinations and a past-Chairman of the Belfast Branch. He is a Chartered Engineer, Chartered Scientist and European Engineer as well as a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.

A graduate of the Universities of Cambridge and Ulster, Richard is married with one son and spends his leisure time in ice hockey and rugby.

Responsibilities: Dean of the Faculty of Computing and Engineering which comprises the School of Engineering, School of Computing and Intelligent Systems; School of Computing and Mathematics; School of Computing and Information Engineering; Research Graduate School.

Professor Carol Curran is Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences. She joined the University of Ulster in 1996 as a Lecturer/Practitioner in District Nursing, a full time lecturer in 1999 becoming a Senior Lecturer in 2005. In 2007 she was awarded a Personal Chair in Nursing on the basis of Academic Enterprise.

Carol obtained an honours degree in Nursing Studies in 1990, an MSc in Professional Development in 1997 and a PhD in 2005 all from the University of Ulster. Before taking up the post of Dean Carol has been Head of School of Nursing, Chief Executive of Ulster Educational Partnerships Ltd and Associate Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences. Carol is the current Chair of the Northern Ireland Practice and Education Council for Nurses and Midwives (NIPEC). Carol is keen to advance inter-professional learning across the faculty and to maximise the relationship between research and teaching and learning.

Responsibilities: Dean of the Faculty of Life and Health Sciences which comprises the Schools of Biomedical Sciences, Environmental Sciences, Health Sciences, Nursing, Psychology, and the Ulster Sports Academy (formerly School of Sports Studies) each with their respective Research Institute and the Research Graduate School.

Professor Paul Carmichael is Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences. He joined the University of Ulster in 1992 as a Lecturer in Public Administration, becoming a Senior Lecturer in 1997, Reader in 2002 and Professor of Public Policy & Government in 2004.

Paul obtained an honours degree in Economics and Public Policy in 1989 from Leeds Polytechnic. He was awarded a PhD in Public Policy in 1992 from the University of Strathclyde and a Postgraduate Certificate in Teaching in Higher Education in 1995 from the University of Ulster. Before taking up the post of Dean, Paul had been the Head of the School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy since 2005. Since 2000, he has been Honorary Secretary of the Political Studies Association of the United Kingdom and a Visiting Fellow in the Centre for British Studies at the Humboldt University of Berlin. Paul is keen to advance the research agenda of the Faculty while developing all aspects of teaching and learning.

In 2007, Professor Carmichael was elected as an Academician of the Academy of Social Sciences.

Originally a native of Kingston upon Hull in England, Paul has lived in Northern Ireland for over 18 years.

Responsibilities: Dean of the Faculty of Social Sciences which comprises the School of Communication; School of Economics, School of Education; School of Law; School of Criminology, Politics and Social Policy; School of Sociology and Applied Social Studies; the Graduate School for Professional Legal Education, the Research Graduate School, the Transitional Justice Institute, the Social and Policy Research Institute; and, INCORE.

Professor Marie McHugh is Dean of the Ulster Business School. She joined the University of Ulster as a Research Officer in 1987, becoming a Lecturer in Organisation Studies in December 1989. In 2001 she was awarded a Personal Chair in Organisational Behaviour and was appointed Head of Department. Before taking up her present post she was Head of the Department of Management in the Ulster Business School.

A native of Enniskillen, County Fermanagh, she attended Mount Lourdes Grammar School. She went on to read Psychology at Queen’s University Belfast, graduating with a BA (Hons) in 1983. This was followed by an MSc in Occupational Psychology in 1985, and in 1997 she obtained a PhD in Organisational Behaviour from the University of Ulster.

In addition to her roles at the University of Ulster, Professor McHugh is Editor of the Leadership and Organizational Development Journal and is Vice President of the British Academy of Management.

Responsibilities: Dean of the Ulster Business School which comprises: the Department of Accounting; Department of Business, Retail and Financial Services; Department of Hospitality and Tourism Management; Department of International Business; Department of Management and Leadership; Department of Marketing, Entrepreneurship and Strategy; the Business Institute; the Business and Management Research Institute; and the Research Graduate Centre.