Imperial College Welcomes New President in September

After a search by College Council through an international list of candidates, Professor Alice P. Gast, President of Lehigh University and former Vice President for Research and Associate Provost at MIT is set to step into the role of President of Imperial College. Professor Gast will be College's first female President/Rector in it's 106 year history.

Professor Gast, having spent seven-and-a-half years as President of Lehigh, a private research university based in Bethelhem, Pensylvannia, said "I have always been excited by what goes on at Imperial, one of the world's greatest scientific universities. With its unique focus on science, engineering, medicine and business, and its integrated mission to teach, research and translate its work for the benefit of society, Imperial has a great leadership role in the world. I am therefore deeply honoured by this opportunity to serve as its President."

"I look forward to getting to know its whole community of staff, students, alumni, friends and supporters, and to helping Imperial to grow and to continue to push the boundaries of learning, discovery and innovation over the coming years... Sir Keith leaves a wonderful legacy and Imperial and the global science community are much stronger thanks to his leadership. Imperial's future looks very bright, and I am honoured by the invitation to help shape it." Professor Alice P. Gast

President-designate Professor Gast's appointment comes after recent structural changes to the leadership roles at College which saw the role of Rector being split into two separate roles, President and Provost, as announced by College Council in April 2012. These roles split the responsibility of the Rector into the public-facing President position, which is ultimately responsible for all College activities and cultivates relationships with the business and political worlds, and the academia-focused Provost, who reports to the President and manages College's academic mission.

The new President-designate and the current Provost Professor James Stirling, former Head of Physics at the University of Cambridge are replacing the current President & Rector, Professor Sir Keith O'Nions FRS, who is retiring from the position after four-and-a-half years at Imperial's top position. Professor Sir O'Nions, who was re-appointed as President & Rector in July 2003 while the search for a new President continued, will be stepping down in September 2014.

During her time as President of Lehigh University, Professor Gast established the Baker Institute for Entrepreneurship, Creativity and Innovation, the Iacocca International Internships for Global Leaders, an endowed scholarship program for women studying in the fields of Science, Technology , Engineering and, Mathematics and raised an additional $225 million in resources for the University. Continuing on from Professor Sir O'Nions, President-designate Gast lead College's strategy, including the development of the Imperial West campus as well as creating and deepening College's links with academia, industry, government, benefactors and alumni.