Dr Kevin Higgins
PhD(Exon.)
Expertise
I lead the BDC's work developing new structures & funding models for Doctoral & other research programmes, often in partnership with international Universities or other orgs, to enhance PGR student access, training & employability
Current positions
Partnerships and Scholarships Manager
Bristol Doctoral College
Contact
Press and media
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Biography
I began my career as an industrial research Chemist working for ICI Paints Division in the UK & USA. This developed my PhD work on organometallic catalysts for use in in polymer blends for metal coatings and initiated an ongoing collaboration for ICI with the Univ. of Massachusetts.
I then joined the British Council (BC), beginning an involvement in international partnerships that has continued for more than 20 years. My early work included living and working in Tanzania for 5 years, building consortia between British & African Universities, research institutions, & NGOs, supported by UK Government grants and competitive bids for donor-funded projects.
I spent a further 5 years in Vietnam, becoming the BC's Country Director & British Embassy Cultural Attaché with a team of 67 staff in two offices, overseeing a portfolio of £11M of development programmes in English language, education, governance, and health.
I returned to the UK to lead a Business Team of 16 senior representatives (with more than 200 years' combined experience of the BC's global activities) to successfully design & deliver a large, multi-functional, ERP (SAP) system.
After 3 years, I took up the Country Director role in Wales where I negotiated a new Strategy in partnership with the Welsh Government that brought more than 30 new staff to Cardiff, including the UK's ERASMUS+ programme team, and a move to expanded, city-centre offices.
I then worked for the Univ. of Wales Trinity Saint David as it was forming from the merger of 4 Welsh HEIs and played a central role setting-up its London campus that involved the transfer of more than 400 international students from a London college on to the University's Tier 4 visa licence.
I joined Bristol in 2017, where I have developed several, institutional-level, international Dual PhD agreements, including an important relationship with the Univ of Cape Town, providing more than 30 co-funded PhDs.
I then joined the British Council (BC), beginning an involvement in international partnerships that has continued for more than 20 years. My early work included living and working in Tanzania for 5 years, building consortia between British & African Universities, research institutions, & NGOs, supported by UK Government grants and competitive bids for donor-funded projects.
I spent a further 5 years in Vietnam, becoming the BC's Country Director & British Embassy Cultural Attaché with a team of 67 staff in two offices, overseeing a portfolio of £11M of development programmes in English language, education, governance, and health.
I returned to the UK to lead a Business Team of 16 senior representatives (with more than 200 years' combined experience of the BC's global activities) to successfully design & deliver a large, multi-functional, ERP (SAP) system.
After 3 years, I took up the Country Director role in Wales where I negotiated a new Strategy in partnership with the Welsh Government that brought more than 30 new staff to Cardiff, including the UK's ERASMUS+ programme team, and a move to expanded, city-centre offices.
I then worked for the Univ. of Wales Trinity Saint David as it was forming from the merger of 4 Welsh HEIs and played a central role setting-up its London campus that involved the transfer of more than 400 international students from a London college on to the University's Tier 4 visa licence.
I joined Bristol in 2017, where I have developed several, institutional-level, international Dual PhD agreements, including an important relationship with the Univ of Cape Town, providing more than 30 co-funded PhDs.