Allan Laville appointed the new D&I Dean
Monday, 11 November 2019
Dr Allán Laville has been appointed the University’s new Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. He will start his six-year term on 6 January 2020.
Allán teaches Clinical Psychology at the School of Psychology and Clinical Language Sciences (SPCLS) and has been the Co-Chair of our LGBT+ Staff Network since August 2018.
As the Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Allán will work closely with the University Executive Board (UEB) and other key partners to provide senior leadership support to building a diverse institution. He will report to Professor Parveen Yaqoob, the Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research & Innovation.
Allán has been appointed on a 0.5 full time equivalent contract and he will be supported by two diversity and inclusion advisors, reflecting the University’s progress in embedding diversity and inclusion activities across Schools and Functions over the past few years.
Announcing his appointment, Professor Parveen Yaqoob said: “I am delighted at the appointment of Allán Laville. He has been an active member of the University’s LGBT+ community and his work as the Co-Chair of LGBT+ Staff Network has contributed to us becoming a Stonewall Top 100 Employer. Allan brings to the role a strong commitment to supporting a culture of diverse representation of staff at all levels of our University.”
Allán Laville said, “Diversity and Inclusion is at the heart of my personal and professional values and therefore, I am delighted to have been appointed as the new Dean for Diversity and Inclusion. I am very excited to work with individuals across the University to support a diverse and inclusive culture."
Allán has been with the University since April 2011, when he joined as a PWP Clinical Educator in the Charlie Waller Institute (CWI). By December 2013, he progressed into the role of Senior PWP Clinical Educator working across CWI and SPCLS. He was appointed a Lecturer in Clinical Psychology in July 2019 and is the Deputy Co-Chair of the British Psychological Society’s Psychological Wellbeing Practitioner Training Committee.
He specialises in reality-status judgements in typically developing children and children with Autism Spectrum Disorder. He is also interested in mental health issues among the LGBT+ community. In 2019, Allán won the RUSU Award for Diverse and Inclusive Teaching Excellence.
Current D&I Dean
The current Dean for Diversity and Inclusion, Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde, is stepping down from the role at the end of this year. He will return to the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computer Science on a part-time basis.
Simon was appointed to the role in 2015 in a job share with Professor Ellie Highwood. Together, they raised the profile of diversity and inclusion activities at the University.
Simon’s leadership on LGBT+ issues has resulted in the University becoming a ‘Stonewall Top 100 Employer’ – with a strong network of LGBT+ allies and a strong presence at the Reading Pride.