Dr Alistair Vance
Professor of Modern History | Departmental Chair | Higher Education Pedagogist
Manchester
Professional Summary
Senior academic and departmental leader with comprehensive experience in modern historical research, undergraduate and postgraduate curriculum design, and institutional governance. Proven record in securing competitive research council funding, supervising doctoral candidates to completion, and elevating student learning outcomes through evidence-based pedagogy.
Experienced in external examining, departmental quality assurance, and fostering cross-institutional research collaborations across the UK higher education sector.
Academic Appointments
Irwell Metropolitan University
Manchester, United Kingdom
Professor of Modern History and Departmental Chair
Sept 2021 – Present
- Direct the undergraduate and postgraduate history curriculum, overseeing module design, validation, and assessment moderation for over 350 students annually.
- Lead the Departmental Research Committee, securing 680,000 GBP in competitive research council grant funding across three collaborative research initiatives.
- Supervise seven doctoral researchers to completion and mentor twelve early-career lecturers in pedagogical practice and grant writing.
- Serve as external examiner for honours degree programmes across two partner institutions, safeguarding academic standards and quality assurance.
Associate Professor (Reader) in Modern History
Sept 2016 – Aug 2021
- Taught advanced undergraduate modules on nineteenth-century social history and supervised 24 Master of Arts dissertations.
- Coordinated institutional preparations for the Research Excellence Framework (REF) submission, reviewing and selecting departmental impact case studies.
- Implemented active-learning seminar frameworks that raised student satisfaction scores across core modules by 18 percent over three academic cycles.
Pendlebury Institute of Higher Education
Salford, United Kingdom
Lecturer in Modern British History
Sept 2012 – Aug 2016
- Conducted weekly lecture series and small-group tutorials for first-year and second-year undergraduate history cohorts averaging 120 students.
- Published four peer-reviewed journal articles in leading historical journals and delivered keynote presentations at three international symposia.
- Led the modernisation of virtual learning environment resources, introducing digital primary-source archives into weekly seminar tasks.
Education
University of Manchester
Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) · History · Manchester, United Kingdom · Pass without revisions · Sept 2008 – Jul 2012
Doctoral thesis examining industrial labour networks and municipal politics in the North West of England between 1880 and 1930. Supervised graduate seminars and presented papers at four national historical conferences.
University of Manchester
Master of Arts (MA) · Historical Studies · Manchester, United Kingdom · Distinction · Sept 2007 – Jun 2008
Focused on nineteenth-century social reform movements, archival research methodologies, and quantitative historical data analysis.
University of Leeds
Bachelor of Arts (BA Hons) · Modern History · Leeds, United Kingdom · First Class Honours · Sept 2004 – Jun 2007
Core curriculum in European political history, historiography, and primary source evaluation, including an archival dissertation on municipal governance.
Research Projects
Northern Industrial Heritage Archive Project
Oct 2021 – May 2024
- Directed a three-year collaborative digital humanities initiative indexing over 15,000 regional municipal records and nineteenth-century parish archives.
- Partnered with public libraries and cultural trusts across Greater Manchester to deliver public engagement workshops and open-access educational materials.
Municipal Labour and Public Welfare Monograph
Jan 2017 – Nov 2019
- Authored a comprehensive academic monograph published by an established university press exploring urban labour councils from 1890 to 1925.
- Organised an accompanying two-day symposium hosting 65 international scholars and doctoral delegates.
Expertise & Competencies
Curriculum Design & Review
Higher Education Pedagogy
Doctoral Supervision
Research Grant Administration
Academic Department Leadership
Historiographical Research
Archival Methods
Peer Review & Editorial Direction
Assessment Moderation
Virtual Learning Environments
Languages
English
C2
French
B2
German
A2
Professional Affiliations & Accreditations
Senior Fellowship (SFHEA)
Advance HE · Jun 2018
Fellowship (FHEA)
Higher Education Academy · Nov 2013
Academic Service & Community Outreach
Manchester Historical Heritage Trust
Manchester, United Kingdom · Oct 2018 – Present
- Honorary Academic Adviser
- Judged submissions for the annual regional secondary school history competition and provided structured written feedback to encourage higher education progression.
- Delivered termly pro bono public history lectures to local civic societies and adult education groups across Greater Manchester.