- Job title
- Vice-Chancellor and President
Contact
Email the Vice-Chancellor's office: vice-chancellor@leeds.ac.uk
Email Executive Assistant Hannah Pedley: h.pedley@leeds.ac.uk
Email Principal Executive Officer (interim) Guy Dixon: g.dixon@leeds.ac.uk
About
Professor Simone Buitendijk (MD, MPH, PhD) is the thirteenth Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leeds, a major Russell Group University with a commitment to high quality education, a strong and dynamic research base and a track record of social, economic and cultural development. She joined the University in 2020.
Professor Buitendijk has a clear vision for how research and education should work in tandem in a global university with strong civic roots.
In her previous roles, Professor Buitendijk strengthened the links between education and research, led large change programmes and worked to further equality, diversity and inclusion. She has extensive experience of driving the digital and online learning agenda.
Before joining the University of Leeds, she was Vice-Provost (Education) and Professor of Maternal and Child Health at Imperial College London.
Before this, Professor Buitendijk was Vice-Rector at Leiden University in the Netherlands. There, she was responsible for education, student affairs and diversity; and played a major role in the overall strategic leadership and direction of the university as a member of a three-person leadership team.
She was previously head of a large research group in Paediatrics and Child Health at TNO Institute for Applied Sciences in the Netherlands and concurrently Professor of Maternal and Child Health at Leiden University Medical Centre and Professor of Midwifery Studies at the University of Amsterdam Medical Centre.
Among other responsibilities at the University of Leeds, Professor Buitendijk is Chair of the principal academic authority, the Senate, and Chair of the University Executive Group.
Video transcript: Hello from the Vice-Chancellor, Professor Simone Buitendijk.
Further reading
- COVID-19: an opportunity to rethink global cooperation in higher education and research (2020)
- Lectures’ days are numbered at Leeds as new VC takes charge – Times Higher Education (2020)
- Next Vice-Chancellor appointed to the University of Leeds (2020)
- Equality, Diversity and Inclusion at Universities: The power of a systemic approach (2019)
- League of European Universities’ report Women, Research and Universities: Excellence without gender bias (2012)
Blog
Five latest blog pieces:
- Faith in difficult times (December 2022)
- Three key steps to equity in higher education (July 2022)
- Women’s progression — how it starts from the top (March 2022)
- The language of peace (February 2022)
- What's love got to do with it? (January 2022)
Read more blogs from the Vice-Chancellor