A number of our Sectoral Groups are already well established, with active leadership in place. We are now seeking academic colleagues to lead Groups in areas where chair vacancies have arisen, offering an opportunity to shape the future direction of engagement and collaboration in strategically important sectors:
- Advanced Manufacturing
- Clean Energy
- Creative Industries
The Sectoral Groups bring together colleagues with shared interests in key strategic sectors and support the development of high-impact collaborations by:
- cultivating new relationships with industry, government, trade bodies, and regional networks;
- strengthening existing partnerships across research, innovation, and knowledge exchange;
- identifying opportunities that align external needs with the University's research and innovation strengths;
- helping to shape strategic initiatives aligned with the UK Government's Industrial Strategy 2035 and the University's 2030 Strategy and Research & Innovation Core Plan.
As a Sectoral Group Chair, you will be supported by a named colleague from the Research and Innovation Office and will work with an established network of engaged academics and stakeholders. You will convene group meetings, set priorities, champion opportunities for collaboration and help connect University expertise with external needs, while representing your sector within the wider University and relevant external networks.
A key aspect of the role is working closely with our Flagship Research Institutes to ensure a co-ordinated and ambitious approach to external engagement and partnership development. This will help connect Institute expertise and research excellence with external organisations, identify emerging opportunities for collaboration and support the development of major research, innovation and knowledge exchange initiatives. By bringing together disciplinary expertise, sector insight and external networks, Sectoral Group Chairs will play an important role in helping the University maximise its impact and visibility in priority sectors.
This is more than a convening role, chairs can influence the University's external engagement agenda, raise the profile of their sector, expand collaborative networks and help shape future research and innovation opportunities. The role offers a valuable platform for academics who are passionate about partnership working and who want to contribute strategically to the University's growth and impact agenda.
In practical terms, the role involves chairing approximately six meetings per year with quarterly reporting on progress to the Commercial & Partnerships Board. The time commitment will be agreed locally with your Dean and formally recognised through administrative workload allocation.
We welcome expressions of interest from academics with experience and enthusiasm for external engagement, interdisciplinary collaboration, sector leadership, and innovation. Applicants should be able to demonstrate experience of working with external organisations through research partnerships, knowledge exchange, policy engagement, or industry collaboration.
To express your interest, please submit a short statement (maximum 300 words) outlining your relevant experience, external networks, areas of interest, and the Sectoral Group you would like to chair to Kathryn Burchell (k.d.burchell@lboro.ac.uk) by 4 pm on 9 October 2026.