Professor Michael Thorne became Vice Chancellor at Anglia Ruskin University in 2007 and was previously Vice Chancellor at the University of East London since 2001. He has a first class honours degree in Pure Mathematics and a PhD in Computational Group Theory.

He is the author, co-author and editor of a large number of books and academic papers, and has contributed to many television and radio programmes as well as being in high demand as a speaker. He is Chair of the Parliamentary Skills Commission’s enquiry into Information, Advice and Guidance, on the Board of the Office of the Independent Adjudicator for Higher Education and chaired the government’s Advisory Committee on Libraries. In his spare time he conducts Wagner operas and other large scale musical works.