Dr Brian Murphy appointed as Research Director at Cogent SSC

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Monday, 09, Jul 2007 12:00

Brian Murphy is Cogent SSC’s new Research Director. He joins from Manchester Metropolitan University where he was Head of Chemistry and Materials. MMU is one of the largest providers of higher education (HE) in the chemical sciences in the country and by far the largest provider of part-time, study-through-work degree schemes.

In this context Brian brings much experience of the education and skills agenda. Commenting on his move to the Sector Skills environment, he said: “It is an exciting prospect. The shift in focus from supply-led to demand-led education and skills development identified in the Leitch Review is wind to the sails of the Sector Skills Councils.

“Industries underpinned by chemical science and represented by Cogent are crucial to the future capability of UK PLC in the global knowledge and skills-based economy. Ensuring that our research captures the UK position and helps inform debate and influence strategic direction at Cogent and at government level is a challenge that I respect and relish.”

At MMU Brian led the growth of their premier part-time HNC and BSc (Hons) degrees in chemistry and in recent years successfully piloted a blended online distance-learning course so that the employer catchment extended as far as the nuclear industry to the north of Manchester and processing industries as far as the south coast of England. He said: “When I left MMU we were on the cusp of embedding online HNC developments into blended-learning foundation degrees, a development that I am sure Cogent will take a keen interest in.”

Brian has also led a consortium of HE institutions in developing a national £300k open-learning framework for part-time HE provision in chemical science under a HEFCE STEM initiative. This work will continue with Cogent research strengthening the evaluation process with the “voice of employers”.

Brian lives in Didsbury with his family.

Career History

Brian has a sustained contribution over a 25-year career spanning diverse experiences in a range of modern and traditional universities and industry in the UK and abroad.

• BSc(Hons) Chemistry – Queen’s University (Belfast)

• PhD Inorganic Chemistry – Open University

• Postdoctoral Fellow – James Cook University of Queensland, Australia

• Postdoctoral Assistant – Sheffield University (ICI-led fine chemicals project)

• Former Head of Chemistry and Materials (25 academic staff; 300 students, HNC, HND and BSc awards in chemical, pharmaceutical and polymer sciences)

• Regular external examiner for UK institutions

• Former Lecturer in chemistry at the Polytechnic of North London and UMIST

• Successful PhD and postdoctoral supervisions

• 61 publications in research and scholarship of learning and teaching

• £0.5m in income generation in research and STEM developments

• Chartered Chemist

• Member of the Royal Society of Chemistry

• Fellow of the Higher Education Academy

Notes to Editors

About Cogent

Cogent is the Sector Skills Council (SSC) for the chemicals, pharmaceuticals, nuclear, oil and gas, petroleum and polymer industries. It is one of 25 SSCs which, together with the Sector Skills Development Agency (SSDA), form the Skills for Business Network (SfBN). Cogent has finalised its Sector Skills Agreement (SSA) following 18 months of research and consultation with employers across its footprint. This agreement represents a long-term relationship between employers and stakeholders to deliver relevant skills, training and development to employers in the Cogent industries. The resulting action plan is based on the assessment of current and future skills needs, as well as current training and education provision. Five key programmes for the sector, which cut across industry boundaries, have now been drawn up and endorsed by key stakeholders