Professor David Price to step down as VP (Research, Innovation & Global Engagement) in 2022

Since becoming Vice-Provost in 2007, David has overseen UCL’s efforts to facilitate and promote the university’s research, and its benefits for the public and impact on the world. 

Under his leadership, UCL became the top-rated university in the UK for research strength in the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), with excellent scores across a wide spectrum of disciplines. This result reflects David’s vision for UCL to address global problems, extend the reach of our publications, and to support the passion and commitment of our outstanding research community. He has also led staff across the institution in making an impressive submission for the forthcoming REF 2021, capturing the growth of UCL’s research, including the remarkable work by our community to study and tackle COVID-19. 

David has been a member of the UCL community since 1983, and has played an integral role in the senior team as Vice-Provost for fifteen years. Appointed Professor of Mineral Physics in 1990, he has also served as Vice-Dean (Research) and then Dean in the Faculty of Mathematical and Physical Sciences, and Head of the then UCL Department of Geological Sciences and Director of the UCL / Birkbeck Research School of Geological and Geophysical Sciences. He has published over 250 research papers and chapters, and his work has attracted more than 14,000 citations. David was also the Founding Chair of Governors of the UCL Academy School, and is currently Chair of Main Panel B for the national REF2021.

His term of office as Vice-Provost officially comes to an end in August 2022, and he will remain in post through the appointment process for his successor. After stepping down, he will remain at UCL and return to full-time active research in the earth sciences.  

There will be a full international search for an outstanding scholar and leader to take over from him, and we expect this to open in October 2021, to allow for handover before David’s term of office comes to an end.  

UCL President and Provost, Michael Spence, said: "I would like to thank David enormously for his tremendous service as Vice-Provost at UCL and the remarkable contribution he has made to the institution. Since 2007, the university’s research has gone from strength to strength and our place in the Research Excellence Framework owes much to his vision and leadership. His work on the Grand Challenges has been pioneering and has positioned UCL well to face changes in what society expects of our research. The university owes him a huge debt of gratitude. I am very pleased that David will remain in the UCL community as an active researcher.”