Malcolm Press

Malcolm Press
CBE DL
Born
Malcolm Colin Press

(1958-09-18) 18 September 1958 (age 68)
EducationKingsbury High School
Alma mater
AwardsBES presidents Medal (2005)
Scientific career
Fields
Workplaces
ThesisResponses to acidic deposition in blanket bogs (1983)
John A. Lee
Notable students
Julian Hibberd (postdoc)
Websitemmu.ac.uk/about-us/our-people/vice-chancellor

Malcolm Colin Press CBE DL (born 18 September 1958) is a British ecologist, professor and Vice-Chancellor of Manchester Metropolitan University, in the United Kingdom. Press is also President of Universities UK.

Press is the President of Universities UK and a trustee of British Council and English National Opera. Press was appointed a Commander of the British Empire (CBE) in 2022.

Education

Press was educated at Kingsbury High School. He studied environmental science at Westfield College, part of the University of London gaining a Bachelor of Science degree in 1980 followed by a PhD from the University of Manchester in 1984 supervised by John A. Lee. In 2008, he was awarded a Diploma in Spanish and Latin American studies from the University of Sheffield.

Career

Following his PhD, Press was a postdoctoral research associate at University College London (UCL) from 1985 to 1989. He was appointed a lecturer in 1989 at the University of Manchester and promoted to senior lecturer in 1992.

Service and leadership

Press moved to the University of Sheffield in 1994, where he served as a reader until 1998, then professor of physiological ecology, where he also served as head of the department of animal and plant sciences from 2002.

He was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (PVC) and head of the college of life and environmental sciences at the University of Birmingham in 2008. Press faced pushback from the University and College Union (UCU), which held a successful ballot for strike action following introduction of business performance management measures to support university staff. Following constructive negotiations, the strike was later called off after negotiations and Press noted that his statements in a public strategy document "could have been more clearly and sensitively articulated"..

From 2013 he served as Birmingham's Pro-Vice-Chancellor for research and knowledge transfer.

Press was appointed Vice-Chancellor of the Manchester Metropolitan University in June 2015 where he took over from John Brooks who held the post from 2005 to 2015.

Press served as president of the British Ecological Society from 2007 to 2009, and was awarded the BES president's medal in 2005. From 2009 to 2012, he served as a member of the council of the National Trust. Between 2012 and 2018, he served on the Board of Trustees at the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew, appointed by John Taylor, Baron Taylor of Holbeach. From 2015 until 2021 he was a trustee of the World Wide Fund for Nature. In 2017, he was appointed chair of the Manchester Memorial Advisory Group, serving until 2020. In 2020, he was appointed a trustee of the British Council. Press also sits on the boards of several university-linked businesses, including UCAS, the Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. and the Oxford Road Corridor. Press is a trustee of the President of Universities UK and British Council and English National Opera. Press was made a commander of the British Empire in 2022.

Research

Press is internationally recognised as a researcher in the fields of sustainable agriculture, climate change and tropical forests. Highlights include:

  • Impacts of atmospheric nitrogen deposition on upland vegetation (Sphagnum): his PhD was the first demonstration of the impact of pollutant nitrogen (nitrates and ammonium) on a British terrestrial ecosystem.
  • Impacts of climate change on terrestrial Arctic ecosystems: community changes to temperature and nutrients are driven by the response of key species and their interactions.
  • Interactions between parasitic plants and their cereal hosts in sub-Saharan Africa: control and mechanisms of tolerance and resistance.
  • Impacts of parasitic plants on ecosystem structure and function: hemiparasites are keystone species and ecosystem engineers, shaping community structure through impacts on decomposition and nutrient cycling.
  • Factors that control the regeneration of dipterocarp seedlings in Southeast Asian tropical rainforests.

Reception

Press was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2022 New Year Honours for "services to higher and technical education". He was appointed a Deputy Lieutenant (DL) of Greater Manchester in 2024.

In September 2026, Press was criticised by the University and College Union for appearing at a Reform UK conference. Press was on a panel discussing education alongside Suella Braverman. In response, Press emphasised that 'engagement should not be confused with endorsement' and 'we must be willing to listen, question, debate and disagree, rather than simply engaging with those whose views we may already share'.

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 Anon (2025). "Press, Prof. Malcolm Colin". Who's Who (177th ed.). Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 2720. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.10000142. ISBN 9781399411837. OCLC 1427336388. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  2. 1 2 Anon. "Professor Malcolm Press has been appointed to the Board of Trustees of the Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew by Lord Taylor". kew.org. Royal Botanic Gardens, Kew. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  3. 1 2 3 4 Anon (2022). "Manchester Metropolitan University 2022 New Year Honours: Vice-Chancellor and Paralympians awarded in the Queen's New Year Honours". MMU. Archived from the original on 1 January 2022.
  4. 1 2 3 Press, Malcolm Colin (1983). Responses to Acidic Deposition in Blanket Bogs. manchester.ac.uk (PhD thesis). University of Manchester. ProQuest 2350388520.
  5. ↑ "Emeritus Professor John A Lee". Sheffield: University of Sheffield. Archived from the original on 4 November 2012.
  6. ↑ "Brazil and beyond: inside Birmingham and Nottingham universities' research partnership". The Guardian. 15 March 2012. Archived from the original on 23 February 2014.
  7. ↑ "Professor Malcolm Press CBE". Archived from the original on 27 January 2022. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
  8. 1 2 3 4 "Professor Malcolm Press CBE DL". Manchester Metropolitan University. Retrieved 18 March 2026.
  9. 1 2 Jump, Paul (2013). "Birmingham pro v–c's remark infuriates staff". timeshighereducation.co.uk. Times Higher Education. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  10. ↑ "Professor Malcolm Press, Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Knowledge Transfer, Life and Environmental Sciences". Birmingham: University of Birmingham. Archived from the original on 3 May 2013.
  11. ↑ "Professor Malcolm Press BSc, PhD, Pro-Vice Chancellor (Research and Knowledge Transfer)". Birmingham: University of Birmingham. Archived from the original on 22 February 2014.
  12. ↑ "Professor Malcolm Press begins as Vice-Chancellor: New era for Manchester Metropolitan University". Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 5 June 2015.
  13. ↑ "Professor Malcolm Press, Vice-Chancellor". Manchester Metropolitan University. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
  14. ↑ "UK Government Research Grants awarded to Malcolm Press". Research Councils UK. Archived from the original on 14 June 2015.
  15. ↑ Anon (2015). "Brooks, Prof. John Stuart". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.8907. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  16. ↑ "Manchester Metropolitan University appoints new vice-chancellor". Manchester: Manchester Evening News. 12 December 2014. Archived from the original on 15 February 2016.
  17. ↑ "UCAS welcomes three new Trustees to our Board". ucas.com. 8 July 2019. Retrieved 21 September 2020.
  18. ↑ "Malcolm Press". wwf.org.uk. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  19. ↑ "Board of Trustees". ucas.com. 6 October 2014. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  20. ↑ "Institute for Apprenticeships Board". instituteforapprenticeships.org. Institute for Apprenticeships and Technical Education. Retrieved 17 September 2020.
  21. ↑ "Board". oxfordroadcorridor.com. Oxford Road Corridor. Retrieved 23 September 2020.
  22. ↑ Malcolm Press publications indexed by the Scopus bibliographic database. (subscription required)
  23. ↑ Press, M. C.; Lee, J. A. (1982). "Nitrate Reductase Activity of Sphagnum Species in the South Pennines". New Phytologist. 92 (4): 487–494. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1982.tb03406.x. ISSN 0028-646X.
  24. ↑ Woodin, S.; Press, M. C.; Lee, J. A. (March 1985). "Nitrate Reductase Activity in Sphagnum Fuscum in Relation to Wet Deposition of Nitrate from the Atmosphere". New Phytologist. 99 (3): 381–388. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1985.tb03666.x. ISSN 0028-646X.
  25. ↑ Press, M. C.; Woodin, S. J.; Lee, J. A. (1986). "The Potential Importance of an Increased Atmospheric Nitrogen Supply to the Growth of Ombrotrophic Sphagnum Species". New Phytologist. 103 (1): 45–55. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1986.tb00595.x. ISSN 0028-646X.
  26. ↑ Potter, Jacqueline A.; Press, Malcolm C.; Callaghan, Terry V.; Lee, John A. (1995). "Growth Responses of Polytrichum commune and Hylocomium splendens to Simulated Environmental Change in the Sub-Arctic". New Phytologist. 131 (4): 533–41. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.1995.tb03089.x. PMID 33863118.
  27. ↑ Press, M.C.; Potter, J.A.; Burke, M.J.W.; Callaghan, T.V.; Lee, J.A. (1998). "Responses of a subarctic dwarf shrub heath community to simulated environmental change". Journal of Ecology. 86 (2): 315–327. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.1998.00261.x. ISSN 0022-0477.
  28. ↑ Bale, Jeffery S.; Masters, Gregory J.; Hodkinson, Ian D.; Awmack, Caroline; Bezemer, T. Martijn; Brown, Valerie K.; Butterfield, Jennifer; Buse, Alan; Coulson, John C.; Farrar, John; Good, John E. G. (January 2002). "Herbivory in global climate change research: direct effects of rising temperature on insect herbivores". Global Change Biology. 8 (1): 1–16. Bibcode:2002GCBio...8....1B. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2486.2002.00451.x. ISSN 1354-1013. S2CID 86258707.
  29. ↑ Richardson, Sarah J.; Press, Malcolm C.; Parsons, Andrew N.; Hartley, Susan E. (2002). "How do nutrients and warming impact on plant communities and their insect herbivores? A 9-year study from a sub-Arctic heath". Journal of Ecology. 90 (3): 544–556. doi:10.1046/j.1365-2745.2002.00681.x. ISSN 0022-0477.
  30. ↑ Sloan, Victoria L.; Fletcher, Benjamin J.; Press, Malcolm C.; Williams, Mathew; Phoenix, Gareth K. (2013). "Leaf and fine root carbon stocks and turnover are coupled across Arctic ecosystems". Global Change Biology. 19 (12): 3668–3676. Bibcode:2013GCBio..19.3668S. doi:10.1111/gcb.12322. PMID 23846848. S2CID 6373101.
  31. ↑ Scholes, Julie D; Press, Malcolm C (2008). "Striga infestation of cereal crops – an unsolved problem in resource limited agriculture". Current Opinion in Plant Biology. 11 (2): 180–186. doi:10.1016/j.pbi.2008.02.004. PMID 18337158.
  32. ↑ Swarbrick, P. J.; Huang, K.; Liu, G.; Slate, J.; Press, M. C.; Scholes, J. D. (July 2008). "Global patterns of gene expression in rice cultivars undergoing a susceptible or resistant interaction with the parasitic plant Striga hermonthica". New Phytologist. 179 (2): 515–529. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2008.02484.x. PMID 19086183.
  33. ↑ Cissoko, Mamadou; Boisnard, Arnaud; Rodenburg, Jonne; Press, Malcolm C.; Scholes, Julie D. (2011). "New Rice for Africa (NERICA) cultivars exhibit different levels of post-attachment resistance against the parasitic weeds Striga hermonthica and Striga asiatica". New Phytologist. 192 (4): 952–963. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2011.03846.x. hdl:10568/120185. PMID 21883232.
  34. ↑ Hartley, S. E.; Green, J. P.; Massey, F. P.; Press, M. C. P.; Stewart, A. J. A.; John, E. A. (2015). "Hemiparasitic plant impacts animal and plant communities across four trophic levels" (PDF). Ecology. 96 (9): 2408–2416. doi:10.1890/14-1244.1. ISSN 0012-9658. PMID 26594698.
  35. ↑ Quested, Helen M.; Cornelissen, J. Hans C.; Press, Malcolm C.; Callaghan, Terry V.; Aerts, Rien; Trosien, Frank; Riemann, Petra; Gwynn-Jones, Dylan; Kondratchuk, Alexandra; Jonasson, Sven E. (2003). "Decomposition of Sub-Arctic Plants with Differing Nitrogen Economies: A Functional Role for Hemiparasites". Ecology. 84 (12): 3209–3221. doi:10.1890/02-0426. ISSN 0012-9658.
  36. ↑ Press, Malcolm C.; Phoenix, Gareth K. (2005). "Impacts of parasitic plants on natural communities: Tansley review". New Phytologist. 166 (3): 737–751. doi:10.1111/j.1469-8137.2005.01358.x. PMID 15869638.
  37. ↑ Fisher, James P.; Phoenix, Gareth K.; Childs, Dylan Z.; Press, Malcolm C.; Smith, Stuart W.; Pilkington, Michael G.; Cameron, Duncan D. (2013). "Parasitic plant litter input: a novel indirect mechanism influencing plant community structure". New Phytologist. 198 (1): 222–231. doi:10.1111/nph.12144. PMID 23356534.
  38. ↑ Massey, Fergus P.; Massey, Kate; Press, Malcolm C.; Hartley, Sue E. (2006). "Neighbourhood composition determines growth, architecture and herbivory in tropical rain forest tree seedlings: Neighbourhood effects on S. leprosula". Journal of Ecology. 94 (3): 646–655. doi:10.1111/j.1365-2745.2006.01127.x.
  39. ↑ Bagchi, Robert; Press, Malcolm C.; Scholes, Julie D. (January 2010). "Evolutionary history and distance dependence control survival of dipterocarp seedlings". Ecology Letters. 13 (1): 51–59. doi:10.1111/j.1461-0248.2009.01397.x. PMID 19849708.
  40. ↑ Bagchi, Robert; Philipson, Christopher D.; Slade, Eleanor M.; Hector, Andy; Phillips, Sam; Villanueva, Jerome F.; Lewis, Owen T.; Lyal, Christopher H. C.; Nilus, Reuben; Madran, Adzley; Scholes, Julie D. (2011). "Impacts of logging on density-dependent predation of dipterocarp seeds in a South East Asian rainforest". Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society B: Biological Sciences. 366 (1582): 3246–3255. doi:10.1098/rstb.2011.0034. ISSN 0962-8436. PMC 3179629. PMID 22006965.
  41. ↑ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N10.
  42. ↑ "No. 64538". The London Gazette. 11 October 2024. p. 19970.
  43. ↑ "University boss criticised for appearing at Reform UK conference". www.ucu.org.uk. Retrieved 11 September 2026.
  44. ↑ "UUK president's Reform conference appearance 'dangerous' – UCU". Times Higher Education (THE). 7 September 2026. Retrieved 23 October 2026.