Professor Emma Hunt
Vice-Chancellor & Chief Executive
Professor Emma Hunt joined Falmouth University as Vice-Chancellor and Chief Executive in January 2022, and was previously Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the Arts University Bournemouth (AUB) from July 2013. Prior to that she was Dean of Art, Design and Architecture at the University of Huddersfield for seven years, and also held posts at the University of Derby, University of the Arts London, and Winchester School of Art. Well known nationally and internationally, she has been invited to talk about UK Higher Education Art and Design in the UK, America and China, and has been a Visiting Professor at Yunnan Arts University, China. In all her academic appointments, Emma is focused on providing an unrivalled student learning experience that leads to exceptional career opportunities in the creative industries.
Emma was awarded a Chair in Higher Education Art and Design in 2014. She has a Doctorate in Higher Education Management from the University of Bath where her research focused on Design Education and the concept of an Intrapreneurial University. She holds a BA (Hons) in the History of Art and Design, a MA in Design History, and an MBA (Education). She is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy.
Throughout her career, Emma has developed research interests in Higher Education Design Practice, Design Policy and the Creative Economy, and has become increasingly involved in the linkages between design, innovation and entrepreneurship. In 2017, she co-curated the acclaimed touring exhibition of the British designer Lucienne Day, and recently co-edited the Sage Handbook on Graduate Employability (Broadley, T., Cai, Y., Firth, M., Hunt, E. and Neugebauer, J., eds. (2023). London: SAGE Publications Ltd.)
Emma is a member of the Universities UK Specialist Institutions Forum and the Creative UK Creative Skills & Futures Network. She is chair of the Cornwall and Isles of Scilly Local Enterprise Partnership, chair of the Creative Industries Sector Board, and a Board member of the Great South West Pan Regional Partnership all of which support economic growth and partnership-working through the pivotal role that Falmouth University plays within the region. She was previously chair of the Council for Higher Education in Art and Design and a founding member of the All-Party Parliamentary Group for Design and Innovation.
