The Whitworth,which is part of The University of Manchester,has today announced Sook-Kyung Lee as its new Director.Lee will join the Whitworth from London’s Tate Modern,where she is aSenior Curator of International Art.Since 2019 she has led the‘Hyundai Tate Research Centre:Transnational’,a major research initiative in partnership with Hyundai Motor,exploring new perspectives on global art histories.In 2021 she was also appointed Artistic Director of South Korea’s 14th Gwangju Biennale,which opened in April 2023.During her tenure at Tate Modern,Lee curated several major exhibitions and displays including Richard Bell:Embassy(2023),A Year in Art:Australia 1992(2021-23),and Nam June Paik(2019-20),which went on to tour to Europe,USA and Asia.She also played an invaluable role in shaping Tate‘s international art collection strategy by leading such initiatives as Asia Pacific Acquisitions Committee and the co-acquisition programme with Museum of Contemporary Art,Australia,in partnership with the Qantas Foundation.She will take up her role at the Whitworth in August 2023 and will become Honorary Professor of Transcultural Curating at the University.Speaking about her forthcoming position as the Whitworth’s Director,Sook-Kyung Lee said:“It is ahuge honour for me to take up the role of Director at the Whitworth,one of the most innovative and audience-focused art institutions in the UK and internationally.I have admired the Whitworth‘s commitment to work with local communities and to use art for positive social change.I would like to further develop the gallery in its artistic rigour and social impacts and to widen its global connections,along with the gallery‘s dedicated staff and The University of Manchester.”The Whitworth operates as aconvening space between the University and the people of the city.It was founded in 1889 as The Whitworth Institute and Park in memory of the industrialist Sir Joseph Whitworth for“the perpetual gratification of the people of Manchester”and continues this mission today in new contexts.Nalin Thakkar,Vice-President for Social Responsibility at The University of Manchester said:“I am delighted that Sook-Kyung Lee is joining us as the new Director of the Whitworth art gallery and will take up the position as Honorary Professor of Transcultural Curating.There is afantastic opportunity to build on the Whitworth’s international renown as aleading cultural institution,whilst working closely with the University,the city of Manchester,our community partners and other stakeholders to strengthen its current focus and explore new exciting directions for the future.”In 2015 the gallery undertook a£17 million redevelopment by architects MUMA,which doubled the public space,creating new facilities to house the collection of over 65,000 works of art,textiles,and wallpaper.Along with expanded gallery spaces,a study centre,learning studio,and collections care centre,the gallery reconnected with its park,with communal gardens and outdoor programmes.The Whitworth is home to exhibitions and projects which often represent and explore the experiences of our local and global communities.Currently the(Un)Defining Queer exhibition delves into the Whitworth‘s collection to examine how we can use aqueer lens to define what the term‘queer’means,co-led by an intersectional group of people who self-identify as LGBTQIA+.Later this month,the gallery will showcase new project and exhibition Economics the Blockbuster presented as part of Manchester International Festival 2023.Economics the Blockbuster will explore how art and artists are shaping the economy and will include works by artists and artist groups based in the UK and internationally.The gallery is driven by amission to work with communities to use art for positive social change,and actively address what matters most in people’s lives.This new vision has been developed as part of an international dialogue about how to evolve and adapt museums to aconstantly changing world.This work is underpinned by three key concepts:learning together,through making and doing;creating aplace of care,consideration,and community;taking action. 查看详细>>

UK-Med,the frontline medical aid charity based at The University of Manchester,has announced that founder Professor Tony Redmond OBE has stepped down as Chair after 29 years in the role,to be replaced by former GP and advisor on quality and standards to the Department of Health,Sir John Oldham.The organisation,which has responded to 22 requests for help in 21 countries over the past two years including Ukraine,Lebanon,Myanmar and Yemen,evolved out of the South Manchester Action and Rescue Team(SMART)in 1994.This voluntary on-site service was initially provided by Tony and four close colleagues:two emergency doctors,one intensive care physician and aplastic surgeon.“I was called out to atraffic accident where ayoung man had been impaled on the central reservation,”Tony recalls,“and the ambulance crew were unable to do anything.It was emergencies like this that showed me there was aneed to provide the same level of care at the scene of an emergency as patients experienced in hospital,thereby increasing their chances of survival.”One of the first big emergencies they dealt with abroad was the Armenian earthquake of 1988,soon after which the team was deployed to the Lockerbie air disaster.Working in Sarajevo during the Balkans civil war showed Tony that work on an international scale required alarger pool of volunteers,drawn from across the UK;hence the establishment of UK-Med.Later,the experience of responding to the earthquake in Haiti demonstrated how there was afeeling that when operating in extreme circumstances any help is better than none.“But this shouldn’t be the case,”says Tony.“The standard of medicine should always be the same.”So,working with the World Health Organisation,he helped to establish and promote internationally agreed standards for medical teams responding to humanitarian emergencies.At the beginning,UK-Med had aregister of around 100 volunteer clinicians-today,it holds more than 1000 highly trained UK and international doctors,nurses,paramedics and allied health professionals,aided by acentral team of over 40.The organisation’s original remit has also expanded,providing experts in outbreak response work-including measles,Diptheria,Ebola;training in managing contaminated casualties–whether from chemical weapons or adirty bomb;and alongside local clinicians it also runs in-country health care programmes.“What is truly remarkable is the amount of people who’d originally volunteered in the UK who were willing to do the same abroad,”Tony recalls.“Even in Sarajevo,going into very dangerous circumstances.Ebola,the same.And now,in Ukraine.We’ve always had the people we need.” 查看详细>>

The University of Manchester has been named the world‘s number one university in the Times Higher Education(THE)Impact Rankings,released today(Wednesday,21 April).The University topped the table of more than 1,200 universities from around the world on action taken towards the United Nations(UN)Sustainable Development Goals(SDGs).The UN‘s 17 SDGs are the world‘s call to action on the most pressing challenges and opportunities facing humanity and the natural world.With arecord number of universities from 98 countries taking part in this year’s rankings,Manchester topped the overall table as well as achieving first place for its work towards the SDGs of Sustainable Cities and Communities and Responsible Consumption and Production as well as asecond place for work in relation to Life Below Water.The University’s research work in these specific SDGs includes mobilising urban living labs to create sustainable infrastructure;setting the standard for cleaner skies;and removing harmful pollutants from industrial wastewater with innovative technology. 查看详细>>

A new accelerator programme is inviting SMEs to collaborate with Greater Manchester’s research and innovation institutions to support the development of innovative health and care products.The Research and Innovation(R&I)Health Accelerator is open to companies looking to accelerate commercialisation of their product or service into the health and care system.By leveraging Greater Manchester’s specialist translational research capacity and world-class health science assets,the accelerator aims to support the introduction of new health and care innovations,establish effective partnerships and support the growth of the region’s life sciences sector.The project is led by Health Innovation Manchester(HInM),the organisation responsible for accelerating innovation in Greater Manchester’s health and care system,in partnership with The University of Manchester(UoM),Manchester City Council,Bionow and The University of Manchester Innovation Factory.It is part-funded by the European Regional Development Fund(ERDF).As part of the R&I Health Accelerator,SMEs will be able to access expertise and support to help progress their products and services towards adoption and commercialisation in the health and care system.Support could include information about navigating the health and care system,developing value propositions,ethics®ulatory advice and access to university-wide expertise.There will also be opportunities to build lasting research collaborations between SMEs,researchers,Greater Manchester universities,NHS organisations and the broader health innovation community.These collaborations will be used to share knowledge,address the barriers to adoption and co-develop proposals for research and development projects. 查看详细>>

An international coalition of leading climate research universities will issue its first declaration ahead of the G20 Summit on 21 and 22 November 2020.The International Universities Climate Alliance member universities span all populated continents,representing one-third of the 100 highest performing climate research universities and aquarter of the top 100 environmental research universities worldwide.The coalition will bring together 37 international member universities as signatories,including,The University of Manchester,along with nine other UK institutions.The University of Manchester is home to the renowned Tyndall Centre,Manchester,which undertakes world-class research to deliver agenda-setting insights on energy and climate change.Energy is one of The University of Manchester’s research beacons-examples of pioneering discoveries,interdisciplinary collaboration and cross-sector partnerships that are tackling some of the biggest questions facing the planet.The Declaration implores world leaders to use the post-COVID recovery to implement measures to counteract climate change,warning that failure to do so will lock in catastrophic consequences for generations to come.Regional media events will be held with apanel of speakers from Asia Pacific and UK university members.Professor Ian Jacobs,President and Vice-Chancellor of UNSW Sydney in Australia,a founding member of the Alliance,said he and his colleagues recognised the need for experts with diverse voices to speak out about the climate crisis. 查看详细>>

A new multimillion pound research institute that will maximise Manchester’s academic strengths in digital health and advanced materials to discover innovative health and care solutions is being launched by aconsortium,led by The University of Manchester.The centre will be called The Christabel Pankhurst Institute for Health Technology.The name celebrates the connection between the University and Dame Christabel Pankhurst,a driving force behind one of the most significant social reforms of the 20th century.As well as honouring adistinguished alumna,the name also demonstrates the University‘s commitment to redress the under-representation of women and other groups in science and academic leadership though its equality,diversity and inclusion action plan.The Institute is being launched following a£5million award from the Greater Manchester Combined Authority’s(GMCA)Local Growth Fund and is part of an ambitious plan set out in the Greater Manchester(GM)Local Industrial Strategy to boost the city-region’s provision in this area.The consortium is made up of the University,Manchester Science Partnerships(MSP),Manchester University NHS Foundation Trust(MFT),and Health Innovation Manchester(HInM).The initiative will build on investments from the University,MSP,the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council(EPSRC),and The Alan Turing Institute,creating atotal budget of more than£25m.The aim of the collaboration is to capitalise on the University’s strengths in digital health and advanced materials and develop innovative products and services for the health care sector.In turn this will drive business growth and employment as well as boost the long-term health benefits of the city region as well as. 查看详细>>