Hamilton To Move To Oxford

Oxford University has recruited chemist Andrew Hamilton, who is currently provost at Yale University, to be its next vice chancellor. Hamilton's nomination is subject only to the expected approval by Oxford's parliament of dons, the British institution's legislative body.

"I am very excited and honored to be nominated as the next vice chancellor of Oxford University," Hamilton tells C&EN. "It is the oldest university in the English-speaking world and has always been one of the great centers of learning and research."

In the U.K., a vice chancellor is the senior administrator of a university, equivalent to a university president in the U.S. Hamilton is scheduled to take up the new post in October 2009. He will be responsible for providing strategic direction to Oxford, as well as representing the university nationally and internationally.

Hamilton, 55, was born in Guildford, England, and received his Ph.D. from Cambridge University in 1980. He has received numerous awards, including the ACS Arthur C. Cope Award.

While he was provost at Yale, Hamilton maintained an active research program in molecular recognition. He says he intends to do the same at Oxford. "I have found that staying involved with research as an administrator is not only good for my sanity, but also allows me to stay connected to students and faculty and to appreciate the pressures of funding, compliance, and other demands of the modern scientific world."