Professor Nigel Thrift

Professor Nigel Thrift is Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Warwick. He joined Warwick from the University of Oxford where he was made Head of the Division of Life and Environmental Sciences in 2003 before becoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research in 2005.

Since becoming Vice-Chancellor in 2006, Professor Thrift has launched an ambitious new strategy for Warwick’s future and has led the University in: implementing an extensive capital plan; achieving a large increase in research income; producing high levels of philanthropic income; establishing high-profile partnerships and research collaborations with leading universities in the US, Australia, India, Asia and Europe; and rapidly increasing Warwick’s international profile through initiatives such as Warwick in Africa and the International Gateway for Gifted Youth.

Professor Thrift has also been instrumental in building on Warwick’s strong links with business and industry, both nationally and internationally.

Professor Thrift was born in Bath, educated at Aberystwyth and Bristol and is an international research figure in the field of geography. He continues to maintain an active research career alongside his role as Vice-Chancellor and has been the recipient of a number of distinguished academic awards including the Royal Geographical Society Victoria Medal for contributions to geographic research in 2003, Distinguished Scholarship Honors from the Association of American Geographers in 2007 and the Royal Scottish Geographical Society Gold Medal in 2008. He was made a Fellow of the British Academy in 2003 and received an Honorary LLD from the University of Bristol in 2010. He is a member of the Governing Board of the European Institute for Innovation and Technology, the Marshall Aid Commemoration Commission, the American Council on Education’s Blue Ribbon Panel for Global Engagement, and he is also a trustee of the Council for Industry and Higher Education. He writes a regular blog for the Worldwise series in The Chronicle of Higher Education. His current research spans a broad range of interests, including international finance; cities and political life; non-representational theory; affective politics; and the history of time.