The University of Hull’s strategy to prioritise social justice and sustainable development has attracted an earth scientist who thinks universities need to be leaders on those goals to become its new vice-chancellor.
Dave Petley saw his own academic background as an earth scientist specialising in the study of natural disasters in poorer countries as an ideal match for the university’s dual 2030 strategy of environmental sustainability and social justice.
“What has been increasingly clear throughout my career is that natural disasters are also a social justice issue and, essentially, it’s the poor who get affected by them and take the longest to recover from them,” he told Times Higher Education.
“Over the course of my career I’ve been passionate about environmental sustainability and social justice, so when I looked at the new strategy of the University of Hull and saw that they put these two elements so centrally, that really, really appealed to me.”
