Georgina Harris is passionate about engineering and the STEM agenda. She believes these professions are filled with problem-solvers, driving innovation and development for societal benefit – and that their importance and currency are highlighted regularly in announcements relating to the national skills agenda, no more so than now in the midst of a global pandemic. She is proud of the leadership role she plays within this context, contributing both to education and to furthering knowledge through research in collaborative partnership with industry.
Georgina holds an Engineering Doctorate from the University of Manchester, a Master of Business Administration from the Open University, and a Master of Engineering with Honours from the University of Manchester.
Mike comes with extensive knowledge and experience of engineering higher education. He is currently the President of the Engineering Professors’ Council (EPC) – the representative voice of engineering academics across the UK. He has led on a high-profile policy paper for successful engineering degree apprenticeships and played a leading role in the New Approaches to Engineering Higher Education programme formed by the EPC and the Institution of Engineering Technology. Mike is also currently a Visiting Professor at The Engineering & Design Institute London (TEDI-London) and City, University of London.
As Deputy Dean of TEDI-London – a start-up provider of real-life project-based engineering higher education – Mike led the design, development and implementation of the innovative academic programme. He was previously Pro Vice-Chancellor and Dean of Science, Engineering and Computing at Kingston University, where he led the revitalising of learning and teaching across engineering, computer science and mathematics – focussing on ‘learning through doing’. Prior to this, as Head of the School of Chemical Engineering and AnalyticaI Science at the University of Manchester, he attained and sustained global top 25 status (QS World Rankings) as well as a top three position in the UK in REF. He has also led on establishing strategic collaborative partnerships with industry embracing teaching and learning as well as research and innovation.
Marcus is Emeritus Professor of Digital Media Education and former Head of Department of the School of Media and Film at the University of Winchester and Visiting Professor at the University of Costa Rica. He is a National Teaching Fellow and the author/editor of eight books and numerous journal articles and book chapters. A sociologist by training, he has worked with national and international bodies and organizations developing media and creative education and is currently completing an MA by research in Ceramics Design Education at Limerick School of Art and Design.
Joanne Newton has worked in higher education and degree apprenticeships, where she has developed and delivered various programmes across levels 4 -7, ensuring they align to current industry requirements and encompass the composite skills and accreditations required by professionals today.
With a background in industry, she started her own IT training and consultancy company offering advice and support to companies in various projects. As a Microsoft Certified Trainer (MCT) and Cisco Certified Systems Instructor (CCSI), she has also had the opportunity to mentor and support many IT professionals in attaining the knowledge and certifications to further their careers.
Sin Wee Lee has a strong background in Artificial Intelligence and Machine learning, having done research and teaching in the area for the past 15 years. His research work has been well recognised and featured on the front page of The Times and various newspapers interviews. He then moved on into programme leadership and, as head of academic partnerships, developed courses and set up TNE partnerships in Engineering and Computing courses before joining Arden.
Mina Katti joined Arden University in 2021 as a Programme Team Leader before being promoted to the position of Principal Lecturer in 2022 and then Deputy Head of School in April 2023. She has undertaken several duties external to her role such as External Examiner at the Open University and the University of Bedfordshire, and validation panel membership for various programmes.
Before joining Arden, Mina worked in various roles in the further education sector and gained expertise in a range of subjects. She is currently studying her Doctorate in Business Administration at the University of Northampton, researching digital strategy and innovation management. Whilst working in Further Education, she galvanised curriculum innovation to make courses more up-to-date and sought to instil employability and industry skills into courses. She champions micro credentials and professional certifications such as Cisco CCNA, CompTIA, MOS, MCE, and MTA alongside core curriculum modules.
Her current interest in DevOps emerged from her studies in cyber security and networking, however, she is equally conversant in software development. Mina is also experienced in training students to provide IT and business consultancy, and to local businesses in areas such as business analysis, user requirements, legal, technical, SLA, and service provisioning.
In her current role, Mina manages the School of Computing’s Distance Learning undergraduate and postgraduate programmes and is keen to improve the student experience and the quality of provision on the distance learning programmes.
Peter graduated in Electronic Communication from the University of Salford and worked for many years in the electronics industry, qualifying as a chartered engineer before his career in education. He has held several management roles in universities as well as being the quality lead for a number of departments over several years. Externally, Peter has acted as an advisor on quality assurance and programme design to both Universities, professional engineering institutions and government organisations, in the UK and abroad.