Faculty leadership
Our leadership team set the overall strategy and direction for the Faculty of Science, supporting our departments to accomplish world-class research and provide the best for our students.
Professor John Derrick
Vice-President and Head of Faculty
John graduated with a degree in Mathematics from the University of Nottingham, before taking his DPhil in Oxford. From 1990 to 2005 he worked at the University of Kent at Canterbury then moved to Sheffield in 2005. He was Head of Department in Computer Science between 2009 and 2015. In 2015 he was appointed to the post of Deputy PVC for Research and Innovation. John joined the Faculty of Science towards the end of 2017.
Professor Liz Milne
Deputy Faculty Vice-President
Professor Milne joined the University of Sheffield as a post-doctoral Fellow in 2004. She took on a lectureship in 2005 and became Head of the Psychology Department in 2020. In January 2024 she took on the role of Deputy Lead Faculty Vice-President.
Professor Andrew Beckerman
Director of Education
Andrew completed his PhD at Yale University in 1999, followed by a postdoc and NERC fellowship at Stirling University. He moved the fellowship to Sheffield in 2003 developing his research and teaching career leading to his position now as Professor in Evolutionary Ecology. Before joining the Faculty of Science leadership, he helped coordinate the creation of the School of Biosciences where he led Student Recruitment until 2024. He is responsible for supporting the development of high quality, research-led and student centred education programmes for the Faculty of Science.
Professor Andrew Fleming
Director of Research and Innovation
After completing an undergraduate degree and PhD at the University of Cambridge, Andrew led a successful research career at ETH-Zurich and the University of Bern in Switzerland, which he has continued since joining the University of Sheffield as Professor of Plant Science in 2004. As Director of Research and Innovation he is responsible for defining the science research strategy, nurturing collaboration and supporting academics to pursue new research of a world-class standard.
Penny Jackson
Director of Operations
Penny joined the University in 2020 after spending seven years as Director of Operations for the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Leicester. Prior to that, she worked for AstraZeneca in a number of different roles. As Director of Operations, Penny works closely with the Faculty Vice-President and the other Faculty Directors to shape the strategic direction of Science at the University of Sheffield and ensure its success in teaching and research.
Jo Marriott
Deputy Faculty Director of Operations
Jo has worked at the University since 2003 in a number of roles including most recently as Deputy Director of Operations (Academic Services) with a remit spanning Education and EDI in the Faculty of Engineering. In her role in the Science Faculty, Jo is focussed on work to support planning for the new Central Teaching Laboratories (CTL) project, as well as the Education and One University pillars of the University vision. Jo also works closely with Departmental Managers to ensure effective and efficient operations.
Heads of Schools
The heads of our academic schools oversee all aspects of work in their departments, from recruiting the best students to producing great new research.
School of Biosciences
Professor Rob Freckleton
Email: r.freckleton@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone: +44 114 222 0123
School of Mathematics and Physical Sciences
Professor Jeremy Oakley
Email: mps-hos@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone: +44 114 222 3752
Department of Psychology
Dr Chris Martin
Email: psy-hod@sheffield.ac.uk
Phone: +44 114 222 6533