Professor Bahun thanked for her contribution to Essex

Professor Sanja Bahun will be taking on a new role as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and Innovation at the Royal College of Art from July.

She has worked at Essex for nearly 20 years, leading on innovative arts-focused research projects and taking on key leadership roles including Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities.

Vice-Chancellor Professor Frances Bowen said: “Sanja has had a huge impact at Essex through her passion for promoting research and education. I would like to thank her on behalf of our senior leadership team and our wider university community. We’re proud to see her progress into an important strategic role at another leading university and wish her the very best for the future.”

Sanja is an award-winning academic whose areas of expertise stretch from international modernism, the theory of comparative arts and world literature to psychoanalysis, women's studies and gender studies. She is the author or editor of more than ten books and numerous articles and essays, as well as two books of creative writing. Most recently, Sanja was the concept author and chief curator of the exhibition "Aktivitet: 100 Years of Surrealism", at the Museum of Contemporary Art in Belgrade from October 2024 to February 2025, which went on to win the International Council of Museums' award for the Best Project in 2025.

She joined the University in 2007 and was appointed as a Professor of Literature and Film in 2014 within the Department of Literature, Film, and Theatre Studies. She served as the Dean of Postgraduate Research and Education from 2018, before being appointed the Executive Dean of the Faculty of Arts and Humanities in 2022. Her focus in both leadership roles has been on enhancing inclusivity in education and research and strengthening staff and student support.

Sanja said: “The University of Essex has made me into who I am professionally, and I am grateful to all the colleagues who have supported me and from whom I have learnt much over the course of years. As I move on, I will remain the friend of the University and will be looking forward to seeing it prosper”.