Roderick Watkins

Roderick Watkins is the Vice Chancellor of Anglia Ruskin University (ARU), appointed in February 2019. Previously, he served as Pro Vice Chancellor and Dean of Arts, Law, and Social Sciences (2014–2015), then Deputy Vice Chancellor (Research and Innovation) (2015–2019). Before joining ARU, he was Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities at Canterbury Christ Church University and Professor of Composition and Contemporary Music (2005–2014). He holds a BA in Philosophy and BMus in Composition from Oberlin College (USA), followed by an MMus and PhD from the Royal Academy of Music (UK), and a year at IRCAM in Paris.

His research focuses on music composition, particularly digital sound synthesis and blending acoustic/synthetic timbres. Notable works include the opera *The Juniper Tree* (premiered 1997, Munich/London), praised as a “triumph” by *The Times*, along with *Labirinto*, *Red Light*, *Still*, *Trace*, and *Lament*. He has collaborated with figures like Hans Werner Henze and institutions such as the London Sinfonietta.

He has contributed to academic governance through roles in the AHRC Peer Review College, Lord Stern’s Review of the Research Excellence Framework (2015–16), and the Research England/UUK Knowledge Exchange Concordat (2018). He also serves on charitable and arts organization boards.