Vice-Chancellor and President

The Vice-Chancellor and President is the academic and administrative head of the University, and the principal officer designated as publicly accountable for the University's finances.

Role and responsibilities

The Vice-Chancellor and President is:

responsible to the governing body for the organisation and supervision of all the activities of the University
the academic leader and Chief Executive of the University
the Chair of Senate
the University’s principal representative in all its external relations.

Post holder

Professor Evelyn Welch (she/her) became Vice-Chancellor and President in September 2022.

Professor Evelyn Welch's biography

Evelyn Welch graduated from Harvard University, receiving her PhD from the Warburg Institute, University of London. She was previously Senior Vice-President for Service, People & Planning at King’s College London, and had been Vice-President (Arts and Sciences) and Provost (Arts and Sciences). She has taught at University of Essex, the Warburg Institute, and held leadership roles at University of Sussex (PVC Teaching and Learning) and Queen Mary, University of London (Dean, Arts and PVC Research and International). As Professor of Renaissance Studies, she has led major research programmes including ‘The Material Renaissance,’ and ‘Beyond Text: Performances, Sounds, Images’. She recently completed a Wellcome Trust Senior Investigator Award for a project on ‘Renaissance Skin’ and has authored numerous books, including Fashioning the Early Modern: Creativity and Innovation in Europe, 1500-1800 (OUP 2017), and Shopping in the Renaissance (Yale 2005), winning the Wolfson Prize for History.

Register of interests

The Vice-Chancellor and President holds a number of external non-executive advisory roles, compliant with the University’s policies on external work. ‌

Remuneration of the Vice-Chancellor

In reviewing the Vice-Chancellor’s salary the Remuneration Committee considers a number of factors taking account of performance, general pay movement for all University staff, retention, and any relevant market considerations. The latter is informed by salary survey information provided by the Committee of University Chairs.

With effect from 1 August 2024 the Remuneration Committee awarded Professor Welch a salary of £301,646.25. There are no additional bonus arrangements. The Vice-Chancellor is a member of the Universities Superannuation Scheme (USS).

Professor Welch is required to live in the Vice-Chancellor’s official residence which is extensively used for hosting a varied annual programme of formal and informal University engagement and fundraising events with our alumni, supporters, partners and philanthropic benefactors. She is also required to travel extensively in the UK and internationally to raise the University's profile in a competitive Higher Education market place, broker partnerships with leading institutions, contribute to the international student recruitment activities, and to maintain and extend the University’s worldwide network of alumni and major donors.

Expenses

Expenses are published every 6 months for all members of the Executive Group. Download Professor Welch's expenses.