The University Team

Please use the tabs below to find out more about the Life and Mind Building University Team.

The Senior Responsible Owner

 

 

Portrait photograph of Professor Chris Kennard.

Professor Chris Kennard, SRO

 

 

 

The project's Senior Responsible Owner (SRO) is Professor Chris Kennard. The SRO, with the support of the Project Board, oversees both the LaMB project and the ACM Removal & Demolition project.  The SRO is nominated by and acts on behalf of the Medical Sciences Division (MSD), the Maths, Physics and Life Sciences Division (MPLS) and the University to lead the delivery of the agreed project business case.

Professor Kennard is an Emeritus Professor of Clinical Neurology at the University of Oxford and a former Head of the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences in the Medical Sciences Division. He was also appointed as interim Head of Division in 2017, prior to his appointment as SRO of the Life and Mind Building. More information on Chris' work and research at the University can be found on the Nuffield Department of Clinical Neurosciences website. 

 

Our vision for the new building is that it will transform the way psychological and biological science is done in Oxford because it will enable more multidisciplinary collaboration and sharing of knowledge and ideas to happen than ever before. Quite simply it will help scientists to solve some of our major global challenges.

 

Senior User Group

Senior User Group

 

The Senior User Group (SUG) was established to represent and uphold the interests of the following project stakeholders:

  • University departmental academic research and teaching staff and support staff who will occupy and use the building.

  • University staff and contractors employed by the University will have responsibility for aspects of operation and maintenance of the building and compliance with University design standards.

  • Students and others, including visitors and public participants, will use the building.

The Senior User Group comprises the following members:

Delivery Project Board

Delivery Project Board

The LaMB Delivery Project Board provides a centralised meeting point to effectively and strategically review the progress of the development of the Life and Mind Building project. The Board comprises senior staff representing the parties to the development project.

Tenant Project Board

Tenant Project Board

The Tenant Project Board supports and advises the University's SRO in leading the project in the role of key decision-maker on matters within the limits of authority delegated by the University and the Delivery Project Board, and to assume responsibility for the specific tasks as delegated by the SRO.

Wider University Team

The design process for the Life and Mind Building has been collaborative and has included a comprehensive schedule of meetings and design workshops with a number of project stakeholders, both within and outside the University, with University user groups taking an active role in the development of the design proposals. These groups include: 

  • Senior User Group - formed of representatives from the departmental users/Thematic User Groups and Estates teams.
  • Thematic User Groups - departmental laboratory users, building management and administration.
  • Estates / Support - teams including Security, Safety Office, and Disability Advisory.

Engagement by the client group has helped to shape the final design proposals and guide the design team, and the composition and structure of the user groups was developed throughout the project design stages.

A matrix of consultation sessions including rounds of meetings was established at the beginning of each RIBA stage, aligned to the development timeline of the design (see example below). A pattern of meeting with users, followed by engagement with the Senior User Group and Estates teams was developed to ensure all user requests were addressed within the final design outcomes.

Example engagement timetable with the University stakeholders including technical and thematic user groups.

RIBA Stage 3 consultation meetings overview schedule