Professor Marsha Meskimmon, Director of the Institute of Advanced Studies (2018-2024)

Initiated through Loughborough’s 2016 Strategic Plan, developing the potential of the Institute of Advanced Studies fell under the watchful eye of then Pro-Vice Chancellor for Research, Professor Steve Rothberg. An innovative leader, with a taste for a good acronym, Steve fleshed out ambitious plans for the University’s research strategy through the CALIBRE framework, in which the IAS was the sole item under the banner heading of ‘Here to Stay’. 

Appointed to the Directorship of the IAS in 2018, I was mindful that the University should indeed be ‘here to stay’, maintaining its increasingly prominent position amongst leading research-intensive UK universities and establishing a place for itself as an international research destination, capable of attracting outstanding scholars from around the world. My pitch for the role, and the informal title of my first strategy plan for the IAS, was simple: ‘Here to Stay – Built to Last’.

In practice, this meant a lot of less-than-glamourous work behind the scenes to envisage and create the infrastructure of an Institute, every step of which was taken in partnership with Dr Helen Tighe, the RDM for the IAS, and a great colleague in every sense of the word. It was a remarkably busy start: three IAS Themes were running that year, Motion, Nation and Geometry, colleagues were contacting us with increasing frequency to see whether there might be an opportunity for them to host their international collaborators in Loughborough as IAS Fellows, and there was the minor issue of getting a building refurbished, furnished and ready to launch as International House, the home of Loughborough’s Institute of Advanced Studies.

Somehow, it all happened and, in looking back upon it now, it really feels as if there was a touch of magic in the process. By magic, I do not mean some divine or ethereal intervention from beyond, but the grassroots magic of intellectual curiosity, collegial generosity, and old-fashioned gumption that yet can pertain in universities when people from all parts of the institution are excited by a new idea and determined to make it happen, together. Theme Leads and academics brought forth fantastic international programmes of events, colleagues in the Research Office, not least Laura Dale, Janine Bates, Bhavna Patel and Zoe Reynolds, offered time, energy and support above and beyond their roles. Tim Oakey and FM staff gradually became wedded to our vision of a space that would operate differently than the usual corporate undergraduate campus, and championed the project for International House to be completed on time for the ribbon-cutting Open House in March 2019.

Things moved apace for the next year; we established processes and procedures for applying to the Open Programme, developed a sandpit-style workshop process to facilitate the development of interdisciplinary Themes that brought LU colleagues together in new and bold research partnerships and began to see the legacy of the IAS in publications, grant successes and continued collaborative relationships. We instituted a Doctoral internship programme – the Doctoral Leaders – and welcomed two cohorts of PGRs as DLs. Fellows were coming to LU in greater numbers than ever and the two Themes for 2019-20, Sound and Water had launched with great aplomb. We had just announced the call for applications to the inaugural round of the flagship IAS Residential Fellowship programme, when we entered a global pandemic.

For an Institute whose main function is to bring international researchers to our two campuses, this might have spelt the end, but, as a Team, we determined to find new routes through the burgeoning hybrid environment and used the time and space to develop our website and the technical facilities of International House as a virtual IAS, operating in tandem with the live Institute. We swiftly reorganized Fellows’ events and meetings through zoom – initially, with some wildness on which I shall dine out for many a year to come – and we began the process of developing the IAS Video Library of Fellows’ Talks, a crucial archive of the legacy of the Institute. We diversified our programme to facilitate Spotlight Series, including the remarkable Arctic Geopolitics and Pacifism and Nonviolence sessions, and took the bold decision to carry on our plans to develop the Residential Fellowships - managing to host two in 2020-21 in our newly-refurbished Flat on campus. Crucially, we were ready with full processes of social distancing in place when we were at last able to welcome colleagues and Fellows back to campus in person.

Having endured the pandemic to come back even stronger, our Team began to grow: Katy Wing had been seconded to Helen Tighe’s role during maternity leave and she streamlined many of our processes and procedures in ways that made it clear that we had the sustained activity and legacy to require a more established research support base. Kieran Teasdale joined the team and made an immediate impression – not just for his sartorial elegance – he has overseen the communications and technical development of the IAS with care, attention and great good nature. Laura Dale, who had left the University, returned as the full-time Research Development Associate of the IAS, and is the core of our planning and operations, as well as the rich heart of the Institute. Bhavna Patel moved full-time to the Incubator after having provided extraordinary support for the IAS for some years. Her replacement, Connor Higgins started in Autumn of 2023 and has already made his mark as a favourite with the Team and Fellows.

Over my time as Director, I have had the great honour to welcome some 300 international Fellows to Loughborough and to oversee ten Themes, three Spotlight Series, two Festivals of Ideas and any number of extraordinary research workshops, seminars and collaborative projects through the Institute of Advanced Studies. It is now my pleasure to hand an established Institute to a wonderful new Director, Professor Ksenia Chmutina, who will, I am sure, lead the IAS from strength to strength.  As my final line as Director, I beg indulgence to make a single assertion: Loughborough’s IAS is without doubt, Here to Stay and Built to Last.