Professor Sir Eric Thomas, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, said:  “I am delighted that Professor Orpen has been appointed as our next Deputy Vice-Chancellor.  He is a highly valued and accomplished member of this University’s senior team.  This is a critical appointment and I have every confidence that Professor Orpen will play a pivotal role in Bristol’s trajectory.”

Professor Guy Orpen added:  “I am delighted and honoured to have this opportunity to contribute in this role to the future of this great university.”

Professor Orpen, who is currently Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at Bristol obtained his BSc at the University of Cape Town. He gained his PhD at the University of Cambridge. In 1979 he was appointed to a lectureship in Inorganic Chemistry at the University of Bristol, was promoted to Professor of Structural Chemistry in 1994 and served as Head of the School of Chemistry from 2001 to 2006.  He then was appointed Dean of the Faculty of Science at Bristol and in 2009 took his current position as Pro Vice-Chancellor.

The University of Bristol is internationally renowned and is ranked in the top 30 universities globally (QS World University Rankings). It has one of the highest number of applicants per place of all UK universities.