Steve Decent
Stephen Paul Decent is a British applied mathematician and university administrator who has served as the Vice-Chancellor of Lancaster University since January 2026, having previously served as principal and vice-chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University. He has previously held a number of senior leadership positions across different universities and holds research interests in free-surface flows and hydrogen fuel cells.
Early life and education
The first member of his own family to go to university, Decent holds a BSc in mathematics from Brunel University and a PhD from the University of St Andrews. His doctoral thesis was on the theory of wave motion and was funded by the Engineering and [Physical Sciences Research Council].Career
After completing his PhD, Decent joined the University of Birmingham as a research fellow and was eventually promoted to the head of the School of Mathematics. He then moved to the University of Dundee to take up the position of vice-principal and head of the College of Art, Science and Engineering. Afterwards, he joined Lancaster University as pro-vice-chancellor of research and enterprise and later pro-vice-chancellor of academic development before moving again to take up the position of provost and deputy vice-chancellor at Manchester Metropolitan University.He was appointed as the vice-chancellor of Glasgow Caledonian University in January 2023. He returned to Lancaster in January 2026 to take up his next appointment as the university's vice-chancellor.