Professor Lady Black appointed as ARU Chancellor
World-leading forensic scientist joins as Anglia Ruskin launches its 10-year strategy
Professor Lady Sue Black, ARU's new Chancellor. Photograph by Sophie Carlarne
Professor Lady Sue Black, Baroness Black of Strome, has been named as the new Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
The appointment of Professor Lady Black, one of the world’s leading forensic scientists and President of St John’s College, Oxford, coincides with the launch of ARU’s new 10-year strategy, Transforming Lives.
Succeeding Lord Bernard Ribeiro as ARU’s Chancellor, Professor Lady Black has had a remarkable and wide-ranging career, including working as a forensic anthropology consultant for the UK Government, which saw her undertake forensic investigations in Iraq, Sierra Leone and Grenada, and serving as the lead forensic anthropologist during the international war crimes investigations in Kosovo.
Before her appointment as President of St John’s College, Oxford, Professor Lady Black was Professor of Anatomy and Forensic Anthropology at the University of Dundee from 2003 to 2018 and subsequently served as Pro-Vice Chancellor for Engagement at Lancaster University. She holds Visiting Professor positions at Oxford and Lancaster, and is an Honorary Fellow of Homerton College, Cambridge.
Professor Lady Black was appointed Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 2016 and, in 2021, entered the House of Lords as a crossbencher peer. In 2024, she was appointed to the Most Ancient and Most Noble Order of the Thistle, the highest honour in Scotland, the same year she received an Honorary Award from ARU.
She is also a Fellow of the Royal Society, lifetime Professor of Anatomy for the Royal Scottish Academy, a former President of the Royal Anthropological Institute, and patron of three charities.
Among her many media appearances, Professor Lady Black has featured as the guest on The Life Scientific and Desert Island Discs on BBC Radio 4. She is also the author of three books, the most recent of which, An Expert Witness, was published in July.
“I am honoured to be joining ARU at a pivotal moment, as the University unveils its ambitious new strategy for the decade ahead. As Chancellor, I look forward to supporting and championing ARU’s work across research, education and civic engagement.
“ARU’s commitment to transforming lives through education and research, and to widening opportunities through social mobility initiatives, reflect values that are deeply important to me. I am very much looking forward to helping the University as it continues to make a positive difference to the communities it serves in the years ahead.”
Professor Lady Sue Black“We are proud to welcome Professor Lady Sue Black as Chancellor and look forward to drawing on her wealth of experience in the years ahead.
“Professor Lady Black’s appointment comes as we begin an important and exciting new chapter, with our 10-year strategy setting out how we will transform lives over the next decade through innovative, inclusive and entrepreneurial education and research.
“Built around five strategic goals and underpinned by our values, it provides a clear direction for the future. This strategy has been shaped to help us focus our energy and resources where they will make the greatest difference and it will be delivered jointly by everyone at ARU.”
Professor Roderick Watkins, Vice Chancellor of ARUTransforming Lives will guide ARU’s decisions over the next 10 years so that it creates lasting benefits for its students, colleagues, partners and local communities.
With five distinct aims, the strategy sets out how ARU will: empower learning; drive discovery with purpose; strengthen the places it serves; foster a culture of belonging and achievement; and deliver sustainable growth and impact.