Dear all,
It has been a time of celebration at Imperial these last few weeks as we mark anniversary milestones – 25 years of the Faculty of Medicine, and 75 years of Silwood Park Campus – and congratulate our newest cohort of students on their A-level results.
I will be starting to visit departments and our campuses during September, and look forward to meeting as many of you as possible, but in the meantime I have been enjoying getting to know the South Kensington Campus and the area.
If you visit the South Kensington Campus in the next couple of weeks, you will notice some work taking place on Imperial College Road next to the Dangoor Plaza. Alumnus Brahmal Vasudevan (Aeronautical Engineering, 1990) and his wife Shanthi Kandiah have gifted a new work of sculpture by the artist Antony Gormley to the College, which will be installed this month. Announced last year, the sculpture is part of our plans to make the campus a more welcoming, engaging and open space for visitors, staff and students.
It was wonderful to be part of the excitement of A-level results day earlier this month – thank you to everyone who was involved. As we prepare to welcome our newest students, it is a chance to reflect on what it means to be part of Imperial, and what kind of community we want to be. As Dr Jess Wade said in our conversation, a more diverse scientific community will be a better and a more productive one, as well as making Imperial a better place for all of us to work and study.
Please look out for me in the coming weeks as I make my way around Imperial. I fully appreciate that the summer months are now as busy for many staff and students as the other months of the year - whether it’s writing up a dissertation or completing an internship, catching up with research, attending conferences, contributing to the admissions process or planning for the new academic year. However, I hope all of you have an opportunity to enjoy some rest and relaxation over the coming weeks before the new term gets into full swing with the arrival of our wonderful students.
Best wishes,
Hugh
Hugh Brady, President