Master appointed Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath
Professor Ian White (1977), Master of the College since 2011, has been appointed as the next Vice Chancellor of the University of Bath. He will leave the College in April 2019.
Professor White has a long history of exceptional service to the College. He came up to the College as an undergraduate in 1977, receiving his BA in Electrical Sciences in 1980, his MA in 1984 and his PhD in Engineering in 1984. He was then appointed a Research Fellow at the College and Assistant Lecturer in the Department of Engineering, before leaving Cambridge in 1990 to become Professor of Physics at the University of Bath.
In 1996 he moved to the University of Bristol as Professor of Optical Communications. He returned to the University of Cambridge and Jesus College in 2001, when he was appointed the van Eck Professor of Engineering.
The Master’s wife, Margaret White, has also taken an active role in College life. She came up to the College in 1979 in the first cohort of female undergraduates. In addition to her role as Deputy Head Academic at St Faith’s School in Cambridge, Mrs White recently published a book called A Good Education.
Dr Stephen Siklos, the College’s President, said: “I am sure that everyone associated with the College will want to join me in congratulating Professor White on this prestigious appointment, and to wish him and Mrs White every success in this next chapter of their lives. In the coming months, we will be celebrating the outstanding contribution that Professor White has made to every aspect of College life.”
Professor White said: “This appointment means a great deal to me. Bath is a University which I care about deeply, having worked here at an early and highly significant stage in my academic career.
“A College community is a unique and special thing, and I will miss the Fellows, students and staff very much. I will also miss our alumni, who have been incredibly supportive throughout my time here.
“It has been a privilege to be Jesus College’s Master for the last seven years. The completion of the West Court development, which restored the College site to its original boundaries and offered excellent new facilities to students, Fellows, alumni and the wider world, has been a particular highlight. I look forward to seeing how the College develops in future.”
The process for selecting the next Master of Jesus College will begin at the start of next term.
