Doing it differently – Getting out there: International and postgraduates

International and postgrads: The second in this year's Engineering Professors' Council Recruitment & Admissions Forum websSeries.

About this event

Continuing our Recruitment & Admissions ForumDoing it Differently theme, we'll be looking at innovative practice in recruiting international and PGT students.

We are honoured to be joined by Vivienne Stern, Director of Universities UK International, to present an overview of what can be done differently in the competitive landscape to attract international postgraduate students in the light of Brexit and the Covid pandemic.

This will be followed by a Q&A with Vivienne and a panel discussion to explore different perspectives between providers and over time.

With confirmed speakers:

• Prof Adam Clare, previousr Director of Admissions for Engineering, The University of Nottingham

• Mohamed Elmaghbi, Director of Admissions for Engineering, The University of Nottingham

• Bobby Mehta, BUILA Chair, Lead DfE,OfS, UUKi and Director of UoP Global, University of Portsmouth

• Mike Nicholson, Director of Recruitment, Admissions and Participation, University of Cambridge.

• Prof Simon Pollard OBE, Pro Vice Chancellor International & Recruitment, Cranfield University

Don't forget to check out the other events in the EPC Recruitment and Admissions Web Forum Series:

Doing it differently – Getting in: Entry requirements, 24 November 2021

Doing it differently – Getting on: Lifelong Learning, 8 December 2021

Vivienne Stern

Vivienne is the Director of Universities UK International (UUKi) which represents UK universities around the world and works to enable them to flourish internationally.

Vivienne has over 20 years’ experience of working in higher education policy and politics at national and international level. Prior to her role in UUKi, Vivienne was Head of Political Affairs at Universities UK, and led the sector’s response to several major pieces of legislation relating to universities. Before that she worked for the Chair of the House of Commons Education Select Committee, and as policy specialist working on topics including quality, student experience, innovation and university-business links.

She is a member of several Boards and advisory committees, including the Education Sector Advisory Group of the Department for Education /Department for International Trade; the Board of UKRI’s Fund for International Collaboration; the British Council’s Education Advisory Group.

She is a graduate of the University of Cambridge, where she studied English Literature.

Adam Clare

Adam joined the University of Nottingham as a Lecturer in January 2010 after completing both his PhD and post-doctoral research at the University of Liverpool. Since then, Adam has undertaken Fellowships at the University of Tokyo, Rolls-Royce, and the High Value Catapults (AMRC/MTC).

Adam currently holds Editorial roles with the Journal of Materials Processing Technology (subject editor), Precision Engineering (associate editor), Manufacturing Letters (Editorial board) and International Journal of Machine Tools and Manufacture (reviewing committee). He is also the Director of and Scientific Advisor to Texture Jet Ltd which is a University spin out company.

Adam was the previous director of student recruitment at for the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Nottingham and will be bringing his years of experience to the session to speak about how admission has changed over his time at Nottingham.

Mohamed Elmaghbi

Having studied both of his UG and PhD at the University of Nottingham, Mohamed joined the University of Nottingham as a Lecturer in 2016. Growing up in Libya, Mohamed moved to the UK in 2007 for his higher education.

Joining the University of Nottingham as a foundation year student Mohamed went on to do both of his degrees in Civil Engineering before going back to where it all started and taking on an academic role in the Foundation Engineering and Physical Sciences Department.

Mohamed is the Director of Student recruitment for the Faculty of Engineering, leading a team of over 30 staff members across 6 departments in developing and executing university and faculty strategies for the recruitment of all UG and PGT students.

Mohamed will focus on how recruitment approaches and methods have shifted over the past 15 years, and how that shift was accelerated over the past 18 months.

Bobby Mehta

Bobby has worked in higher education since August 1999 when he began working in the Access and Admission Department at the University of Luton (now University of Bedfordshire). He moved to the International Office at Luton in December 2000 and remained there until August 2002 when he moved to Wales as an International Recruitment Officer at the University of Glamorgan, now the University of South Wales. In his time at the University he has held a number of positions including: Deputy Head of International Recruitment, Head of International & Business Development in the Faculty of Business and Society, Acting Director of the International Office, Head of Student Recruitment and Head of Enquiries & Admissions and International & EU Recruitment.

In April 2017 Bobby was appointed to the post of International Director at the University of Portsmouth where he is now responsible for:

• Strategic Lead and Management of the International Office • International Marketing and Recruitment • International Student Support • Student Mobility • International Business Development and Partnerships Bobby was originally elected to represent Wales on the BUILA Executive Committee in December 2009 and was elected as Chair in July 2019.

Mike Nicholson

Mike Nicholson joined the University of Cambridge in October 2021, having previously worked as Director of Undergraduate Admissions and Outreach at the University of Bath (2014-21), University of Oxford (2006-2014) and Head of Undergraduate Admissions and Student Recruitment at the University of Essex (1998-2006).

Mike heads the team responsible for supporting undergraduate and postgraduate student admissions, student recruitment and marketing (UK and international), scholarships and funding and widening access and participation.

He is a Trustee of the Council of International Schools and the AQA Exam Board (where he also sits on their Research Committee and chairs the Higher Education Advisory Group) and is a member of the Universities UK Fair Admissions Advisory Group established in October 2019 to review the need for reform of the undergraduate student recruitment and admissions process in the UK.

Mike graduated in 1990 from the University of Sheffield with a degree in English and History and attended Allegheny College, Pennsylvania for a year as an exchange student. He was the first member of his extended family to go to university, after attending state-funded comprehensive schools in Gateshead.

Prof. Simon Pollard OBE

An environmental engineer by training, Prof. Simon Pollard OBE DSc FREng has been Cranfield’s Pro-Vice-Chancellor for International and Student Recruitment since 2018. With a remit for advancing Cranfield’s global engagement through strategic academic partnerships, Simon has led new ventures with the private-public ‘start-up’ Muscat University in Oman, and recently with Jiangsu University, China on technologies for the green economy. Cranfield recruits engineering postgraduates to support the sectors core to its mission: in aerospace, transport, manufacturing, water, energy, environment, defence, security and leadership. In his presentation, Simon will discuss recent future developments in international student recruitment for these sectors and markets.