Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Professor Steve Decent joined Glasgow Caledonian University as Principal and Vice-Chancellor in January 2023.

Professor Decent also chairs Universities Scotland’s Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee.

He joined Glasgow Caledonian from his position of Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University. Previously he was Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and later Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Academic Development) at Lancaster University, and Vice-Principal and Head of College of the College of Art, Science and Engineering at the University of Dundee.

Having graduated with a BSc in Mathematics at Brunel University and a PhD at the University of St Andrews, Professor Decent moved to the University of Birmingham as a Research Fellow in 1995, followed by being a lecturer, before becoming Professor of Applied Mathematics and later the Head of School of Mathematics. He then took on the additional role of Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer in the College of Engineering and Physical Sciences.

Professor Decent is a Fellow of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications, and specialises in research on free-surface flows, including liquid jets and water waves. He also has a keen interest in hydrogen fuel cells.