The Vice-Chancellor and President
Professor David Maguire
EA - vco.pa@uea.ac.uk
The Vice-Chancellor and President is the principal of the University. He provides academic and administrative leadership to all elements of the institution. He oversees financial security and represents the university regionally, nationally and internationally. He also undertakes certain important ceremonial and civic duties.
Professor David Maguire joined UEA as Vice-Chancellor & President in May 2023. He is the principal administrative and academic officer of the University and de facto chief-executive.
Prof Maguire has more than 25 years’ experience in higher education, having worked at eight universities in the UK and the USA, as well as prominent roles in the public and private sector.
He was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Greenwich from 2011 to 2019 and Interim Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee in 2020 and at the University of Sussex from 2021-2022. Directly prior to joining UEA David was Interim Principal at the Dyson Institute of Engineering and Technology.
David has a BSc (Hons) degree in Biology and Geography from the University of Exeter and a PhD from the University of Bristol. His research interests centre on Geographic Information Systems and Higher Education policy. He is the author of over 100 papers and seven books.
He has expertise in strategic planning in large and complex organisations; research, innovation and knowledge exchange; learning and teaching; advanced IT development and commercialisation; and international engagement.
He worked for a global technology company, Esri, for 20 years in the field of Geographic Information Systems and is a former Chair of the Board of Jisc – the UK digital, data and technology agency focused on tertiary education, research and innovation. He was also a member of the Higher Education Policy Institute (HEPI) advisory board and the Universities UK Board.
In his spare time David enjoys squash, walking and guitar music.
Honours and Awards
2016 Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy (PFHEA)
2009 Doctor honoris causa, University of Agronomic Sciences and Veterinary Medicine, Bucharest
1998 Fellow of the Royal Geographical Society (FRGS)