Academic Director of STEM Connect

Professor Mark Williams joined the team as Academic Director in July 2023 to lead this vital programme showing Warwick's continued commitment to science and engineering. 

Mark is also Deputy Chair of Faculty (Research) for Science, Engineering and Medicine. He has held key roles within WMG for the last two decades and has most recently worked as head of the Metrology and Visualisation research group. He has delivered multiple large-scale research and development projects in partnership with industry, and is a leader in the delivery of interdisciplinary research.

With over 20 years' experience working in the automotive, aerospace, defence and healthcare sectors, Mark is also a Chartered Engineer with the UK Engineering Council and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (FIMechE). 

Mark was made a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 2024.

Facilities Management Lead (STEM Connect)

Vicki will oversee the development of a building operations management model for the new buildings working closely with academic departments, Estates, architects and other key internal stakeholders. The model of operation will include a dedicated facilities management team that will provide excellent support to all building users: students, staff and visitors.

She previously managed and delivered facilities management across library and satellite sites at Warwick.

A graduate of London University, Vicki held senior management positions in the private sector for over 25 years, working in PFI and the Facilities Management Industry.

Deputy Pro Vice-Chancellor (Research) and Research Lead (STEM Connect)

Professor David Leadley has been engaged with STEM Connect from the start, formerly as Head of Physics and now as DPVC for Research. David coordinated the creation of our five Research ThemesLink opens in a new window which will strengthen our interdisciplinary activities across the whole Faculty of Science, Engineering and Medicine (SEM) and the wider University. He plays a key role in steering the design of research spaces within the new Science and Engineering Precinct, including shared access to state-of-the-art research facilities and instrumentation.

David’s background is in experimental semiconductor physics research, which involves growing materials atomic layer by layer and characterising them at ultra-low temperatures, high pressure, and high magnetic fields at international facilities. Following an Oxford DPhil, he joined as a Warwick as a Research Fellow in 1995. Now, his focus is enabling others to perform their best research and he is excited about the transformative effect that STEM Connect will have on Science and Engineering at Warwick.

Technical Services Lead (STEM Connect)

Thea’s role involves influencing the design of research areas within the new Science and Engineering Precinct and overseeing the delivery of technical services tailored to support our interdisciplinary research objectives.

She started at Warwick over two decades ago, as a researcher in the School of Life Sciences. Since then, she has held roles as Centre Administrator for Warwick's first two Centres for Doctoral Training, and for 13 years led the Technical Services teams within the Department of Chemistry.

She brings extensive experience with building projects, having joined Chemistry during the construction phase of the Materials and Analytical Sciences Building. Additionally, she has overseen numerous refurbishment projects and possesses hands-on experience in both preventive and reactive maintenance. She has successfully managed diverse teams of technicians responsible for supporting research infrastructure and operational functions.

Education and Student Experience Lead (STEM Connect)

Professor Phil Young recently joined the STEM Connect team as Education Lead. He oversees the cross-faculty Science for Sustainable Futures postgraduate taught programme, which currently consists of three live MSc courses: Global Decarbonisation and Climate Change; Predictive Modelling and Scientific Computing; and Diagnostics, Data and Digital Health – and will be expanded in coming years, with several new courses in the pipeline.

Phil has a PhD in Neuroscience, Immunology and Protein Biochemistry (University of Wales), and has led teams in both academia (Assistant Professor, Peninsula Medical School) and industry (Head of Clinical R&D, The Binding Site Group, Birmingham). He joined Warwick in 2014 as a teaching-focused academic within the School of Life Sciences and was awarded his Professorship (Teaching-Focused) in 2021. He is a Senior Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (HEA) and a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology (RSB), sitting on the national RSB Educational and Science Policy committee as lead for Bioscience Education in higher education.