Director of Estates
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This strength in life sciences is reflected throughout our College of Life and Environmental Sciences which is home to one of the best stand-alone Psychology schools in the country as well as one of the top three centres for research into Sport, Exercise and Rehabilitation Science. Supported by a major gift from a philanthropist, the University is developing a unique institute for forest research which will investigate the effect of rapid climate change on tree canopy development and pathogens. The University’s arts and humanities researchers are among the very best in the UK, highlighting our world-class research programme. Philosophy, History, Classics, Theology and Religion, Shakespeare, and West African Studies are amongst the top ranked subjects in the country and recognised for bringing significant benefits to society. In the Physical Sciences we boast outstanding academic and research credentials, including in Chemical Engineering, in which we were recognised with a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in the Jubilee year, and in Physics, where we have just received investment of £80 million to develop Quantum Technologies. Our substantive links with industry include receiving a £60 million investment from Rolls-Royce and the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE) for the world-leading High Temperature Research Centre. In the Social Sciences we have developed a broad range of initiatives, focused on enhancing, supporting and developing public sector services across the city and nationally. The Public Service Academy (PSA) brings together the University’s teaching, research, consultancy and knowledge transfer expertise in public services. Working with a range of key public service partners, including Birmingham City Council, our work is focused on key themes including cohesion, health and wellbeing and localisation. Our research helps to shape the national political agenda too. The ground-breaking Birmingham Policy Commissions bring together key figures from the public, private and third sectors with our academics to generate new thinking on contemporary issues of global, national and civic concern. Commissions to date have included reports on the shape and nature of local public services in a ‘big society’, the future of nuclear energy in the UK and the security impact of drones. Outstanding students At Birmingham we encourage bold, independent thinking and provide exceptional academic programmes that stretch and challenge. We understand that every student is an individual with a unique learning style and have invested in the latest learning facilities and technologies. As a result we attract students with the finest academic credentials and year on year applications for our undergraduate places are growing rapidly and more impressively than they are nationally or for comparable universities. We have a ground-breaking graduate employability programme and are ranked 4th in the UK. This year we will welcome approximately 8,000 undergraduate and postgraduate students. We are committed to delivering a first-class experience for our students in every aspect of their university life. This is also why the University was ranked 11th in the Times Higher Education Student Experience Survey 2013 and 17th out of 123 UK universities in The Complete University Guide for 2015 and in The Guardian University Guide 2015. These latest league table results further strengthen Birmingham’s position as a Top 20 university and reflect our recent performance in other highly-regarded league tables, such as the The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2014, which ranked the University in 16th place overall. Global outlook Rated 64th in the QS World University Rankings 2014–15, the University has a significant international presence. The breadth of our research in China, and particularly in the Guangzhou region, is testament to the success of our collaboration with the local government and universities there. In Brazil, the Universities of Birmingham and Nottingham are working together in a unique collaboration to develop a network of strategic partnerships with Brazilian universities, as well as the oil and gas industry. In North America, the University has a major collaboration with the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign underpinned by a flourishing network of faculty-faculty relationships. Our partnerships in India continue to develop and have been strengthened by our Chancellor, Indian-born entrepreneur and Cross-Bench Peer Lord Bilimoria of Chelsea. We also have partnership agreements with many of the world’s leading universities; an office in New Delhi and a presence in Brussels. More information about our strategic global engagements and international research focus can be found on our website ( www.birmingham.ac.uk/International/global-engagement/index.aspx )
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