College of Arts and Law: College Board Members

College Board is responsible for the academic leadership of the College.

Professor Helen Abbott

Pro-Vice-Chancellor and Head of the College of Arts and Law

Helen Abbott is Head of College, Arts and Law, at the University of Birmingham. She assumes overall responsibility for College activities, committees and initiatives, and is involved in a range of duties across the University.  She works closely with the CAL Director of Operations, on the formulation of College strategy and its implementation, with a particular emphasis on staffing, external partnerships, workload management, EDI, and the College’s involvement with the University’s Dubai campus. 

Professor Helen Abbott

Rachel Allmark

Director of Operations

Rachel has overall responsibility for the leadership of all Professional Services supporting the College. She is responsible for the development of College Services in supporting the College’s strategic objectives in teaching, research and knowledge transfer and working in partnership with the College Academic leadership.

Email: r.k.allmark@bham.ac.uk

Rachel Allmark

Professor Elaine Fulton

Director of Education

Professor Elaine Fulton is Director of Education for the College of Arts and Law, leading College-wide initiatives to enhance teaching and learning, and placing students at the heart of what we do.

Professor Elaine Fulton

Professor Aleksandra Cavoski

Director of Global Engagement (DoGE)

Aleksandra is CAL College Director of Global Engagement and provides leadership in extending CAL’s global reach and reputation. She is also CAL Sustainability Lead and she is leading a team of academics developing a CAL sustainability module. 

Professor Aleks Cavoski

Professor Fiona de Londras

Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer

Fiona de Londras is Director of Research and Knowledge Transfer in the College of Arts and Law. She works closely with heads of research across the College’s five schools, and with the CAL head of research operations, to develop and deliver the College’s research strategy and ambitions.

Fiona de Londras at the University of Birmingham

Professor Warren Barr

Dean of the Law School

Professor Warren Barr joined the University of Birmingham in September 2023 as Dean of the Birmingham Law School. He was previously Head of School of the School of Law and Politics at Cardiff University, and acting Dean (School of Law and Social Justice) and previously Head of Department (Law) at the University of Liverpool.  He has also held many student facing roles during his career, and his contribution to leading learning was recognised in October 2014 by membership as a Principal Fellow of the UK Higher Education Academy (PFHEA).

His research interests include charity law, social housing and property law, and he is co-author of a leading textbook in Equity & Trusts law (with OUP), now published in the 8th edition (2022). Warren is currently vice-Chair of the Committee of Heads of University Law Schools (CHULS), an Academic Member of the Property Bar Association and Chair of the Modern Studies in Property Law Board.’

Professor Warren Barr

Professor Dan Moore

Head of English, Drama and Creative Studies

Professor Dan Moore is Head of the School of English, Drama and Creative Studies, and holds a Chair in English Literature. Dan works in the field of literary and visual modernism, and his latest major publication was Insane Acquaintances (OUP, 2020). Dan has been the past chair of the British Association of Modernist Studies, and is currently the lead editor for the journal Modernist Cultures (EUP). He has previously acted as Head of Education for the School, and currently sits on the University Misconduct Committee

Photo of Dan Moore

Professor William Purkis

Head of History and Cultures

Professor William Purkis is Head of the School of History and Cultures, which is constituted of the Department of African Studies and Anthropology (DASA), the Department of Classics, Ancient History and Archaeology (CAHA), and the Department of History. He is Professor of Medieval History and an expert in medieval religious cultures, with particular interests in the history of crusading and Latin Christian traditions of pilgrimage and monasticism.

William Purkis at the University of Birmingham

Professor Emma Tyler

Head of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music

Professor Emma Tyler is Head of the School of Languages, Cultures, Art History and Music, which is home to the three departments of Art History, Curating and Visual Studies, Modern Languages and Music. She is responsible for the overall leadership and management of the school.

Professor Emma Tyler

Professor David Cheetham

Head of Philosophy, Theology and Religion

Professor David Cheetham

Professor Ruth Gilligan

CAL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion

Professor Ruth Gilligan is the CAL Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Lead. She is responsible for coordinating EDI initiatives across the College and ensuring EDI concerns are embedded in College Board discussions and decisions. As an award-winning novelist, she was the university's inaugural Professor of Creative Writing; she also works with various storytelling and empathy-building charities such as Narrative 4, Empathy Museum and the National Literacy Trust

Ruth Gilligan

Secretary of the Committee: Joanne Keogh (j.keogh@bham.ac.uk)

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