Professor Richard Bucknall becomes (Interim) HoD, as Professor Yiannis Ventikos heads to Monash

Professor Richard Bucknall (pictured left) added a significant role to his many UCL hats as he became (Interim) Head of Department for UCL Mechanical Engineering.

Officially Head of Department as of 1 February 2023, Professor Bucknall stepped into the proverbial shoes of outgoing Kennedy Chair and Head of Department (HoD), Professor Yiannis Ventikos (pictured right), who will shortly assume his new role as Dean of Engineering, Monash University, Australia.

Taking on the demanding new role while UCL Engineering recruits a permanent replacement for Ventikos, Professor Bucknall remains Vice Dean (Research) for the faculty, alongside his role as programme director for two postgraduate programmes taught in the department, Marine Engineering MSc and Power Systems Engineering MSc.

Professor Bucknall said, “I am delighted to take on the Interim Headship of the Department of Mechanical Engineering. It is great to have the opportunity to do so with such a vibrant and committed cohort of staff and students.

Over the past 10 years, Yiannis has made a significant contribution to the department and I thank him personally and wish him all the best for his next venture. Looking forward, we have plenty still to do as a department over the coming months.  

My commitment to you all is that I will do all I can so that together we can ensure the department steers a positive course during my tenure.”

Executive Dean of UCL Engineering, Professor Nigel Titchener-Hooker said, “I'm delighted that Professor Richard Bucknall has accepted the role of the interim head of Mechanical Engineering while we locate a permanent replacement for Professor Yiannis Ventikos.

I would like to welcome Richard on behalf of the department to this important role. I know that he can count on excellent support, as we move through the weeks and months ahead of us.”

Dean pays tribute to Professor Ventikos

Professor Ventikos led UCL Mechanical Engineering for almost two full five-year terms, during which UCL Mechanical Engineering grew in both size and stature, with dramatic rises in student applications, academic staff and improved facilities for both research and teaching. He will start his new role in Melbourne at the start of Monash’s academic year at the end of February.

Marking the transition between the department heads, Professor Titchener-Hooker paid a warm tribute to the outgoing HoD.

“Yiannis is a big figure: in stature and esteem. Over the past near-decade, he has skippered the Americas Cup vessel that is Mechanical Engineering at UCL. He’s made tactical as well as strategic decisions to win not just individual races but to gain the overall prizes.  The success of this marvellous department owes him a great deal, and so do I. 

For me, and our super faculty, Yiannis has been a great colleague, a clear thinker and a generous supporter. He is naturally inclined to endorse and to promote. So, whilst we lose a great colleague, I think we have gained a lifelong friend. We shall not forget Yiannis in his new role, and I’m confident he will remain a close collaborator and supporter. I wish him, we all wish him, every success at Monash and thank him once again for his utterly selfless service to UCL Mechanical Engineering.”