Malcolm Colin Press CBE (born 18 September 1958)[3] is a British ecologist, professor and Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU), in the United Kingdom.[3][6]
Malcolm Press | |
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Born | Malcolm Colin Press 18 September 1958[3] |
Nationality | British |
Education | Kingsbury High School |
Alma mater |
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Awards | BES presidents Medal (2005) |
Scientific career | |
Fields | |
Institutions |
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Thesis | Responses to acidic deposition in blanket bogs (1983) |
Doctoral advisor | John A. Lee[4][5] |
Notable students | Julian Hibberd (postdoc) |
Website | www |
Press was educated at Kingsbury High School. He studied environmental science at Westfield College,[3] part of the University of London gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 followed by a PhD from the University of Manchester in 1984 supervised by John A. Lee.[4] In 2008, he was awarded a Diploma in Spanish and Latin American studies from the University of Sheffield.[3]
Following his PhD, Press was a postdoctoral research associate at University College London (UCL) from 1985 to 1989. He was appointed a lecturer in 1989 at the University of Manchester and promoted to senior lecturer in 1992.
Press moved to the University of Sheffield in 1994, where he served as a reader until 1998, then professor of physiological ecology, where he also served as head of the department of animal and plant sciences from 2002.
He was appointed Pro-vice-chancellor and head of the college of life and environmental sciences at the University of Birmingham in 2008. From 2013 he served as Birmingham's Pro-Vice-Chancellor for research and knowledge transfer.[7][8]
Press was appointed Vice-Chancellor at MMU in June 2015[9][10][11][12] where he took over from John Brooks who held the post from 2005 to 2015.[13][14]
Press served as president of the British Ecological Society from 2007 to 2009, and was awarded the BES president's medal in 2005. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a member of the council of the National Trust.[15] Between 2012 and 2018, he served on the Board of Trustees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, appointed by Lord Taylor.[1] From 2015 until 2021 he was a trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature.[2][16] In 2017, he was appointed chair of the Manchester Memorial Advisory Group, serving until 2020. In 2020, he was appointed a trustee of the British Council. He sits on the boards of UCAS,[17] and the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education.[2][18] Press also sits on the boards of several university-linked businesses, including Manchester Science Partnerships,[19] Health Innovation Manchester,[20] and the Oxford Road Corridor.[21]
Press is internationally recognised as a researcher in the fields of sustainable agriculture, climate change and tropical forests.[22] Highlights include:
Press was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for "services to higher and technical education".[2][41][42]