Pro-Provost (London) moves to Provost’s Office

The role of Pro-Provost (London), held by Professor Alan Thompson, will move into the Provost’s Office from 1 September 2021, reflecting the importance of UCL’s position embedded in the capital to the university’s long-term strategy.

Professor Thompson leads UCL’s London engagement strategy alongside his role as Dean of Brain Sciences. He became UCL’s first Pro-Vice-Provost (London) in June 2019, originally sitting within the Office of the Vice-Provost (Advancement) and then in the Office of the Vice-Provost (Research, Innovation and Global Engagement). The shift to a Pro-Provost role will be 0.5 FTE, enabling Professor Thompson to continue to lead the Faculty of Brain Sciences with the support of the Deputy Dean, Professor David Shanks, and the Faculty Executive.

Since taking on the role as UCL’s London lead, Professor Thompson and his team have created a London Office for UCL that proactively champions and advocates for all of UCL’s London-focused engagement and activity. He has developed The London Framework, as well as taking a leading role in the signing of UCL’s joint Memorandum of Understanding with Camden Council in December 2020. Through his leadership, UCL has been able to strengthen and develop many of its regional relationships in London, providing an accessible front-door to the university for partners and stakeholders across the city.

Professor Thompson says:

“UCL is an integral and critical part of London and works in a huge variety of ways for and within the communities it neighbours. I’ve been able to draw on a wealth of expertise within UCL as I’ve developed and started to implement the London Framework over the past year, and I’m delighted to join the Provost’s Office with my team, so that London continues to be a central part of UCL’s identity and activity.”

Welcoming the move, President & Provost Dr Michael Spence said:

“The importance of London to UCL and UCL to London is only going to grow as we develop our collaborations and welcome students, staff, partners and visitors to UCL East. Alan has done a tremendous job in providing visibility and leadership support for the multitude of ways in which we are engaging across London and I’m really looking forward to working with him more closely and drawing on his expertise in this area.”

Professor Thompson holds the Garfield Weston Chair of Clinical Neurology and Neurorehabilitation and specialises in multiple sclerosis. He is the winner of the 2020 Sobek Research Prize and the 2021 Charcot Award, recognising a lifetime of achievement in outstanding research into understanding and treating MS.