Deputy Director (Sustainability Service), Facilities Direct…

INTRODUCTION FROM THE DIRECTOR OF SUSTAINABILITY, DR LOUISE ELLIS

We have a clear responsibility to have a positive impact on society, something we take very seriously. This means making our economic, social, environmental and cultural responsibilities. Our vision and commitments are outlined in our ambitious strategy The Sustainability Service will drive change across the University, as well as helping others to become more sustainable, from facilitating staff and student forums and assistance with departmental standards to supporting student learning programmes and research. I believe we can achieve our vision of a university where sustainability is embedded through knowledge, engagement, collaboration and innovation. Getting there is going to be possible and challenging, exciting and, most of all, rewarding. The Deputy Director is a newly created post that will forge ahead with these exciting plans to ensure that the University continues to excel and drive our ambitious programme. In our Sustainability Strategy, we were clear that we want to be a University with a reputation for outstanding performance on sustainability; one that challenges the status quo and is renowned for its open, welcoming environment. This remains at our core and we are taking great strides to make it a reality. As a University, we welcome around 11,000 new students every year. That’s 11,000 people with new ideas and ambitions. It’s exciting to think that we can spread the message of sustainability to successive generations of new students, and harness their ideas to become even more sustainable. We’ve already made great progress. I look forward to being part of a university community that creates this change.

The Leeds Curriculum aims to produce graduates who stand out as a result of the knowledge, skills and attributes they have gained. Their ability to talk clearly and confidently about their experiences also makes our graduates distinctive and is complemented by co-curricular learning opportunities. Sustainability is a key part of this, through embedding sustainability throughout the curriculum, including taught modules, dissertations and living lab projects. The creation, dissemination and application of knowledge will remain at the heart of all that we do and builds on the University’s history and traditions. Increasing knowledge and opportunity in powerful combination is, and will continue to be, the defining feature of life at Leeds, distinguishing us from other universities and enabling us to address the challenges of education and research across a broad range of disciplines with energy and confidence. Research is at the heart of what we do and at Leeds, we are committed to conducting research that makes a difference in society this is reflected in our research theme which by working across disciplines help tackle global challenges of: cities; climate; culture; energy; food; health and water.

The Deputy Director role will be key in driving forward our ambition and ensuring we achieve our vision of a sustainable university.

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