On the 31st of August, 2024 our current Head Of Department at SEAS, Professor Kate Taylor-Jones will be stepping down from her duties as Head of School after five years in the post. Dr Thomas McAuley, Senior Lecturer in Japanese Studies will be assuming the post as Head of Department on an interim basis for one year as we move toward the new combined school structures. Kate Taylor-Jones has noted that -

'Tom McAuley, will do an absolutely brilliant job and I know is completely committed to supporting staff and students in the school. I like to thank all the staff and students I have worked with in this role and look forward to supporting the new HoD as we go forward. '

Dr Thomas McAuley: -

‘I am delighted to be assuming the leadership of the School of East Asian Studies. As a graduate of the department myself, many years ago now, I am well aware of the transformative impact of learning about East Asia as a student, and how it can lead to a lifelong passion for the region - it certainly did with me! In taking over from Kate Taylor-Jones, I know I have a predecessor whose dedication and energy I will find difficult to match, but I count myself fortunate that I will be supported by a dynamic team of scholars and professional services staff who are united in their desire to provide an outstanding experience for our students, supported by groundbreaking research, which sheds new light on this crucially important part of the world, built on the foundations supplied by our dedicated team of language teachers. I look forward to steering the School through the next stages of its sixty-year history.’