Glasgow Caledonian appoints new Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Glasgow Caledonian University has appointed Professor Ehsan Mesbahi as its new Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. He will take up this important position at the University on September 1, 2023.

Professor Mesbahi has almost 30 years’ experience in the higher education sector across different continents. He is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor of the Faculties of Science, Health, Engineering, Architecture and Design Innovation at the Victoria University of Wellington in New Zealand. In this role, he is responsible for providing strategic leadership across the faculties and supporting their academic activities.

He previously held the position of Vice-Principal and Pro Vice-Chancellor (Academic) at the University of the West of Scotland (UWS). Prior to this, he held several positions at Newcastle University, including Dean and founding Chief Executive Officer of its Singapore campus.

Professor Mesbahi was born in Iran and moved to India in his teens, where he studied for his undergraduate degree. He holds a Master’s degree in Marine Engineering and a PhD on modelling and control of engineering systems using artificial intelligence (AI). His research interests are multi-disciplinary and have expanded from environmental management to, most recently, informatics and the application of AI in data-mining.

Glasgow Caledonian University’s Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Steve Decent said: “It gives me great pleasure to announce the appointment of Professor Ehsan Mesbahi as our new Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor. Professor Mesbahi has a wealth of experience and knowledge, and his track record of strategic and academic leadership will be of enormous value to Glasgow Caledonian as we grow from strength to strength. I am looking forward to working with him as we work to deliver the University’s ambitious strategy in the years ahead.

Professor Mesbahi said: “I am very excited to be joining Glasgow Caledonian University and to become part of something amazing. This University has a long track record of success in shaping societies and transforming lives and is on its mark to take the next sprint of success towards the implementation of its ambitious strategy.

“It is a great honour for me to have the opportunity to offer my services to help fulfil Glasgow Caledonian University’s enormous potential and to collaboratively deliver the best possible world-class education and research, globally renowned student experience, impactful engagement with communities, industries and stakeholders, and ultimately to address tomorrow’s greatest challenges, today.”

Professor Mesbahi succeeds Professor Andrea Nelson, who has been Interim Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor since January, and who returns to being our Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research.