Robert Allison (academic)

Robert John Allison (born 4 February 1961) is a British academic and current Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University.

Professor Robert Allison became Vice-Chancellor and President of Loughborough University in September 2012. Previously he was Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Sussex University. Other former posts include Dean of Social Sciences of Health and Head of the Department of Geography at Durham University.

Allison was educated at Northallerton Grammar School, before studying Geography at Hull University, gaining a B.A. in 1982. He was awarded a Ph.D. in Geography from King's College London in 1986. He has contributed to a number of organisations including the Natural Environment Research Council, Higher Education Funding Council for England and the Department for Business Innovation and Skills.

Allison has been a Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society since 1990, serving on many committees and being elected Honorary Secretary from 1997 to 2000. He has also been Chair of the British Society for Geomorphology. He is the recipient of a number of honours and awards for his research and teaching including the Cuthbert Peek Award from the Royal Geographical Society, Charles Lyell Award from the British Association for the Advancement of Science and the Jan De Ploey Prize from the Katholike Universitat Leuven.