Penny Haughan

Penny is Vice-Chancellor and Rector at Liverpool Hope University.  With more than three decades of service at Liverpool Hope, Professor Haughan has played a central role in shaping the University’s academic direction and student experience. Her recent conferment of a professorship further recognises her significant contribution to higher education, leadership, and scholarship.

Prior to becoming Vice-Chancellor, Professor Haughan served as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Provost, where she led major initiatives including the University’s Teaching Excellence Framework submission and contributed to consistently strong National Student Survey outcomes of which Liverpool Hope was ranked top in the North West across a number of areas in the latest results. She has been a leading advocate for student voice and has championed initiatives such as the Women in Leadership programme.

Her earlier roles include Pro Vice-Chancellor for Student Life and Learning, where she helped steer the University through the challenges of the Covid-19 pandemic, as well as Dean of Students and Dean of Sciences and Social Sciences. She was also part of the senior leadership team during the University’s transition to full university status in 2005. Professor Haughan began her career at Liverpool Hope in 1995 as a lecturer in biology.

Beyond the University, she contributes to the wider education sector through governance roles, including positions on the boards of Ravensbourne University London, Wirral Met College, and a primary school in Warrington.