He was succeeded in 2009 by Prof Colin Bailey, who was head of the School of Mechanical, Aerospace and Civil Engineering.
The University of Manchester has a long and distinguished record of achievement in science and engineering disciplines, and a history of breaking new ground.
The world's first steerable radio telescope at Jodrell Bank was built at the University by Bernard Lovell.
Most recently, Manchester physicists Andre Geim and Kostya Novoselov won the 2010 Nobel Prize in Physics for their pioneering work with graphene.
Manchester businessmen and industrialists established the Mechanics' Institute to ensure that their workers could learn the basic principles of science.
Similarly, John Owens, a Manchester textile merchant, left a bequest of £96,942 in 1851 for the purpose of founding a college for the education of males on non-sectarian lines.