Welcome
Professor Lisa Roberts FRSB FRSA, President and Vice-Chancellor.
Hello and welcome to your latest Alumni Magazine. I hope that each and every member of our alumni community has had a very happy and prosperous new year.
We have had much to celebrate over the last year. In our work on forging a greener future, in June we launched our Green Futures Solutions initiative at the House of Lords in London. Green Futures is our business support initiative that enables organisations to utilise our world-class research and knowledge to reach net zero, make smarter use of natural resources, and seize opportunities to grow the green economy. Five of the world’s top 21 climate scientists work at the University, and with more than 1,500 colleagues working broadly across environment and sustainability, we are ideally placed to lead the way on this crucial issue.
We are well on the way to achieving our sustainability ambitions, and last summer we were ranked number one in the world for our work leading the progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal (SDG 6), delivering clean water and sanitation. We were also ranked first in Europe for progress towards delivering climate action (SDG 13), and second in Europe for our progress towards zero hunger (SDG 2). This extraordinary ranking demonstrates how our University is focused on solving the world’s most pressing challenges.
“We are well on the way to achieving our sustainability ambitions, and last summer we were ranked number one in the world for our work leading the progress towards the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 6, delivering clean water and sanitation.”
Top 10 in the Russell Group for student satisfaction in six out of seven themes in the National Student Survey (NSS) 2023.
More than 99% of our research is rated of international quality in the latest Research Excellence Framework (REF 2021) with 12 of our subjects in the top 10 for world-leading impact.
Top 15: 11th in The Times and The Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024; 15th in the Complete University Guide 2024.
In our quest for a healthier future, in October we held a launch event for our new Exeter NIHR Biomedical Research Centre (BRC), funded with £15 million from the National Institute for Heath and Care Research. This partnership with the Royal Devon University Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust is the first of its kind in our region and will help us translate scientific discoveries into tangible benefits for patients, whilst also running more clinical trials and creating effective treatments more quickly.
As we look to forge a fairer future, last year we published a landmark study into the legal failings associated with the national Post Office scandal, with the aim of supporting improvements in culture and ethical practice to prevent similar injustices in the future. And our work on improving the social mobility of disadvantaged young people in our region, through the South West Social Mobility Commission, saw us shortlisted for a THE Award for our contribution to the local community.
Our global partnerships also go from strength to strength. In the last year our partnership with the University of Queensland, the QUEX Institute, saw its first cohort of PhD students graduate. I was also delighted to renew our partnership with the Chinese University of Hong Kong, through the Joint Centre for Environment Sustainability and Resilience (ENSURE), for a further five-year term, so we can continue tackling some of the biggest and emerging environmental and human health issues.
These are just a flavour of the many achievements we have had in the last 12 months, but I hope they make you happy and proud to be Exeter alumni, and an essential part of our global community.
We’re leading the world in Clean Water and amongst the very best in Europe for Climate Action and Zero Hunger*.
*Times Higher Education (THE) Impact Rankings 2023.
Winners of the British University and College Sport (BUCS) Super Rugby Championship 2022 and 2023; 2nd in the BUCS Women’s National League Finals in 2022 and 2023; and 4th in the BUCS Points 2022-23 Overall league.
We achieved the Athena Swan Silver Award for the advancement of gender equality and a Bronze Race Equality Charter Mark for our commitment to race equality.
I hope you enjoy this year’s magazine, which includes the fantastic news that your University was awarded “solid gold” in the 2023 Teaching Excellence Framework assessment, recognising our outstanding teaching, learning, student experience and student outcomes – one of only four Russell Group universities to receive this. It also includes an interview with one of our first PhD graduates, a celebration of multiple anniversaries that took place this year, and how we’re looking ahead to future investments of our campuses.
Our alumni are central to our thriving University community, and I would like to thank you for your support over the last 12 months. In the last year, thanks to your support, Exeter secured £33 million in donations, alongside a record 17,500 volunteering hours secured – all of which provides resource to facilitate the University’s Strategy 2030. I look forward to meeting many of you at one of our global events over the next 12 months, but in the meantime, I hope you enjoy catching up on the latest news from your University.
Best wishes,
Professor Lisa Roberts FRSB FRSA
Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive University of Exeter
