Simon Oldroyd

Pro Vice-Chancellor Sustainability and Dean of Health and Life Sciences

Professor Simon Oldroyd was the Interim Deputy Vice-Chancellor from April 2019 to the end of December 2020. In January 2021 Simon returned to his role as PVC/Dean for the Faculty of Health and Life Sciences, a role he has held since February 2015. Prior to this Simon was the Deputy Dean to the faculty.

Simon is responsible for the university’s activity and strategy related to the UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) in education and the curriculum, our continued role as UK SDG16 hub, its associated public engagement projects and all of our sustainability-related engagement with the UN. Simon is also responsible for DMU’s sustainability education projects and embedding sustainability in the curriculum and in our research, including carbon literacy and awareness/education-related work with DSU and DMU’s environmental policy/management activity across the DMU estate.

Simon graduated with a BSc (Hons) in Anatomy and Cell Biology from The University of Sheffield in 1991, before going on to study for a PhD in renal pathophysiology/pharmacology at the same institution. Following completion of his PhD studies Simon was successful in gaining an EU Human Capital and Mobility Fellowship to work in the research laboratories of Dr Guiseppe Remuzzi at the Mario Negri Institute for Pharmacological Research in Bergamo, Italy between 1994–1996; working on the renal effects of the (then) recently discovered peptide endothelin. Following a post-doctoral research post at Sheffield Kidney Institute (Northern General Hospital, Sheffield) Simon joined DMU as a lecturer in the School of Pharmacy in 2000. During this period he went on to programme-lead the BSc Biomedical Science degree course and its expansion into Medical and Clinical Sciences. He became Associate Head of the School of Allied Health Sciences in 2005, then Head of School in 2008. During his time as head of school he oversaw extensive change in clinical and laboratory-diagnostic programmes within the school in anticipation of or in response to developing national initiatives by statutory bodies and the Department of Health.

Simon is active on regional and national committees concerning education in biosciences and NHS education commissioning. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Biomedical Science, a STEM ambassador and a member of the board of Trustees of the Hope Against Cancer charity in Leicestershire and Rutland. Simon continues to be involved in teaching of biosciences, PhD student supervision and is an external examiner. He is married with three young children, so any spare time is spent on riot-control.

You can contact Simon Oldroyd directly by emailing soldroyd@dmu.ac.uk or through his PA by emailing Joanne Curtis: joanne.curtis@dmu.ac.uk