Kevin Shakesheff is vice chancellor of Keele University, taking up the role in September 2025. He joined Keele from the Open University, where he was pro vice chancellor for research and innovation. A pharmacist by training, he completed his undergraduate and PhD studies at University of Nottingham and held a postdoctoral fellowship at Massachusetts Institute of Technology.
He rejoined the University of Nottingham in 1997, progressing to become pro vice chancellor there in 2015. He joined the Open University in 2021 where his remit included the university’s Research, Enterprise & Scholarship Unit, the Institute of Educational Technology, and the Business Development Unit.
Kevin has also held national and industry roles, including board chair of the National Centre for Replacement, Refinement and Reduction (NC3Rs), founder of the regenerative medicine company Locate Bio Ltd, and former director of the science incubator company, BioCity Ltd.