Pro Vice-Chancellor

Alice Wilby

Alice joined the University of Northampton as Pro Vice-Chancellor for Education and Student Experience in February 2025.  She has spent her career in higher education, initially running widening participation projects at the University of Oxford, before moving into leadership roles at Oxford Brookes and the University of Wolverhampton.  She spent four years as a Pro Vice-Chancellor at University College Birmingham, before working as a consultant with several universities, including Royal Holloway and the University of South Wales.

Alice is proud of having moved between professional services and academic roles in her career, and supports and mentors others on similar journeys.  The thread running through all of her roles has been supporting a diverse range of students to access and get the most out of university study.

Alice’s research interests focus on how universities can better support students who have taken less traditional Level 3 qualifications – particularly BTECs – to succeed within Higher Education.  She has taught students across a range of social science disciplines, and at UON teaches undergraduates in sociology and education.  Outside her UON role, Alice is a trustee of Student Hubs, and a member of the Quality Assurance Agency’s committee overseeing the licensing of Access to HE Diplomas.

Alice is responsible for the leadership and delivery of the Student Experience and Learning and Teaching strategies, including the National Student Survey, student retention and employability.  She is particularly passionate about the impact that education can have on reducing inequalities, and on the wider societal impact of universities.