Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise)
Professor Dean is a Professor of Health Sciences who is an internationally recognised authority in the area of epidemiology of allergic disorders.
She joined University of Brighton in 2016 as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Enterprise) and has the strategic lead for all research and enterprise activities. She has led on the development of the university’s Research and Enterprise Strategic Plan 2017-2021. She takes the lead role on preparing and the delivery of actions to enhance the University’s position with regard to the Research Excellence Framework (REF) and Knowledge Exchange Framework (KEF). As a member of the University Executive Board and the Strategic Planning Group, she contributes to the broader leadership and direction of the University, and contributes to the academic planning matters including the annual planning and target-setting cycle.
She is responsible for the Brighton Doctoral College and is committed to enhancing the postgraduate research (PGR) student experience and facilitating recruitment of high quality graduate students. In 2017, she was appointed as the Doctoral Training Alliance National Director for the University Alliance.
During her time at the University of Brighton, her portfolio of responsibilities has expanded to include her role as institution lead on Galleries, Theatre and Museums, as well as for the Professoriate. In addition, she oversees the work of the Community University Partnership Programme.
She is passionate about promoting women in STEM, and mentors a number of female STEM academics at universities in the UK. She was shortlisted for Mentor of the Year at Women of the Future Awards in 2015. Professor Dean is the Gender Equality champion for the University and leads on Athena SWAN at the University of Brighton. As a member of the Equality and Diversity Panel (EDAP) for the REF, Professor Dean advises on the development of guidance and criteria to appropriately recognise equality and diversity considerations in all elements of submissions to the next REF.
In 2020, Professor Dean was appointed as the chair of the International Research Development Network (IRDN) for Universities UK.
Prior to joining University of Brighton, she held a number of senior positions at the University of Portsmouth including Dean of Research (2011-2014) and Dean of the Faculty of Science.
Originally from Iran, Tara came to the UK aged 16, as an international student to complete her education. She completed her first degree in Biological Chemistry at the University of Essex and obtained her PhD from Kings College in London in 1989.
Following a post-doc at the National Heart and Lung Institute (now part of Imperial College), she moved to the University of Southampton to establish her own research team in the field of Asthma and Allergy. In 1996, she joined the late David Hide to establish the internationally-recognised Asthma and Allergy Research Centre on the Isle of Wight and completed her training in Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine. During her time at the Allergy Centre, she led on a number of seminal cohort studies focusing on epidemiological aspects of asthma and allergy, and also took up directorship of the Department of Health-funded Research and Development Support Unit for South East Hampshire and Isle of Wight.
She has published widely and remains research active supervising PGR students and working on externally funded research projects. In the 2014 Research Excellence Framework (REF), in addition to her outputs, she was the author of two Impact Case Studies. Find out more about Professor's Dean's research by viewing her full profile.