Management and Structure

Dean of the School of Business, Law and Social Sciences

Mohamed is a Professor of International Human Resource Management and an Academic Fellow of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development (CIPD).

Over the last 20 years, Mohamed’s work has focused on culture and human resource management with special emphasis on flexibility, diversity, equal opportunities and social inclusion.

Mohamed’s research is recognised for its contribution to the contemporary understanding of people management in different cultures and the efficient use of flexible working practices, equal opportunities in relation to gender and age, employment initiatives, and employment prospects for young people leaving third level education.

He has conducted research and consultancy work in the following areas:

• Human resource management
• Cross-cultural management
• Graduate recruitment and labour market trends
• Environmental awareness in the workplace
• Job creation and social inclusion
• The response of employees to organisational change

Mohamed has published two books, over 60 research papers – many of which have been presented at national and international conferences - and examined more than 50 PhD and MPhil students.

He is a guest lecturer at universities in the UK and abroad including the University of British Colombia and the University of International Business and Economics in Beijing.

Deputy Vice-Chancellor

Professor Irons joined Abertay in July 2022 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor from the University of Sunderland where he was Professor of Computer Science and Academic Director for Digital Education.

He is originally from Stranraer in Scotland and is a graduate of the University of Edinburgh. He brings a broad range of experience across teaching, research, knowledge exchange and innovation, in addition to expertise forged through working in industry and projects around pedagogy, transnational/international education and online learning.

Professor Irons became a National Teaching Fellow in 2010, was a visiting scholar at the University of Cape Town in South Africa from 2013–2017 and is a senior research associate at the University of Johannesburg.

Currently Vice President (Academic) of the BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT, and Chair of the BCS Academy Board, Professor Irons also serves on the management board of DYNAMO North East, the management board of Sphere North East and is a trustee of the NE Futures UTC. 

Find out more about Professor Irons.

Dean of Teaching & Learning

Dr Luke Millard is Dean of Teaching and Learning at Abertay University and is a Principal Fellow of the UK’s Higher Education Academy.  At Abertay, Luke leads the work of the AbLE Academy and works with the Deans and Senior Management Team to guide activities that seek to improve student and staff experiences, and outcomes, through collaborative engagement.  The Principal Fellowship award was based on his experiences in developing student success through collaborative working with staff and students on the areas of student engagement and co-creation, student employment, transitions and the first year experience. His doctoral research continued this theme and considered the impact of students being employed on campus on students’ learning and their relationship to the institution.

In recent years, Luke has been invited to deliver keynotes at University Learning and Teaching events at Bath, Nottingham Trent, Liverpool John Moores, Munster Technological University, Worcester and Winchester Universities.  In addition, he has chaired the European First Year Experience conference; provided a presentation to the OECD in Paris on Learning Gain and chaired a national conference in London on ‘Increasing Student Retention Across Higher Education’. In 2019, Luke delivered a keynote on student engagement and quality enhancement at the University of Tsukuba (Japan) and presented at the Japanese Association of Higher Education Research.  Most recently, he has worked with the University of Szeged and members of the EULOGH university alliance to explore issues around student engagement and success.  Luke has published widely and has substantial experience of developing partnership arrangements with Universities across North America, Asia and Europe as a vehicle to improve institutional performance and the student experience.

Luke continues to investigate and research in the field of student retention and success with a particular focuses on the first year student experience and the addressing of inequalities through course design and student opportunity. Luke has written extensively on student engagement, success and employability. 

Director of Finance, Infrastructure and Corporate Services

Gordon has responsibility for strategy and operations in areas covering finance, estates, information technology, campus facilities, business development, commercial contracts and services, residences, procurement, administration and project support and business continuity planning.

Gordon joined the University from the Care Inspectorate where he was the Executive Director of Corporate and Customer Services. Prior to that, he was Assistant Principal (Finance and Resources) at Adam Smith College and held a joint post as Assistant Principal of Fife College and Glenrothes College. Before moving to the college sector he held posts as Head of Corporate Services at Tayside Fire Brigade and Principal Accountant at Tayside Regional Council. 

Gordon is a member of the CIPFA Scotland Executive Committee, having been Chair of CIFPA Scotland in 2018-19 and is a former chair of the Central Government Procurement Shared Services Steering Board.

Gordon is a graduate of the University of Dundee, a Fellow Chartered Public Finance Accountant and a Chartered Member of the Chartered Institute of Personnel and Development.