President & Provost

Dr Michael Spence AC joined UCL as President & Provost in January 2021, joining the university from the University of Sydney where he was Vice-Chancellor from 2008 to 2020.

Dr Spence joined UCL during the COVID-19 pandemic, leading the institution through the complexities of reopening and transitioning back to in-person learning following the national lockdowns. Since joining he has led a year-long university-wide consultation to develop the UCL Strategic Plan 2022-27, setting out UCL’s priorities and ambitions for that period, and overseen the relaunch of UCL’s Grand Challenges programme, supporting the academic community to work together on cross-cutting, multidisciplinary solutions to the world’s most complex issues.

During a challenging time for the HE sector, and a wider cost of living crisis, his focus on financial sustainability has enabled UCL to make significant investment to attract and retain world-class talent. During his tenure, UCL’s reputation as an academic powerhouse has also grown, with accolades including Sunday Times University of the Year 2024.

He has also overseen the opening of UCL East, UCL’s major new campus in East London, building key strategic relationships with local government, businesses and community organisations in that area. Furthermore, through his work with UCL's philanthropic community he has played a direct role in supporting an increase in philanthropic gifts to UCL, with £235.6 million raised in 2023-24.

As a long-standing proponent of universities as crucibles for debate and dialogue, he has established himself as a leading voice within the UK and beyond promoting the art of ‘disagreeing well’ and is spearheading a new programme of activities at UCL which explore approaches to developing the skill of constructive debate around challenging issues.

As Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sydney, he led the university’s rise to first in Australia and fourth in the world for graduate employability. He was responsible for raising a record one billion Australian dollars through the INSPIRED philanthropic campaign, which transformed the university’s campus by funding major new research and education centres, bringing resources to life-changing medical research and providing more than 2,000 scholarships and education initiatives for new and existing students.

Dr Spence is recognised internationally as a leader in the field of intellectual property theory and holds a Doctor of Philosophy from the University of Oxford, where he headed Oxford’s Law faculty and Social Sciences division.

An alumnus of the University of Sydney, Dr Spence has a BA with first-class honours in English, Italian and Law. His other languages include Chinese and Korean.

In 2017, Dr Spence was named a Companion of the Order of Australia in recognition of his service to the higher education sector and in 2018 he was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of New South Wales.

In December 2024, UCL’s Council unanimously approved an extension of Dr Spence's tenure to August 2031.

(Last updated: March 2025)

The President and Provost is the principal academic and administrative officer of UCL, and is UCL's accountable officer for the purposes of the Financial Memorandum with the Office for Students (OfS). The President and Provost is appointed by Council, on the recommendation of a joint committee of Council and the Academic Board; is responsible to the Council; and works closely with its members, and especially with the Chair of Council. 

The essential role of the President and Provost is to provide leadership which ensures: that UCL’s development is guided by a clear sense of mission and strategic direction which is sensitive to changes in the social, economic and political environment within which UCL operates; that all UCL’s activities, across the full range of academic disciplines in which it conducts teaching and research, are properly resourced; and that UCL’s staff and students feel genuinely part of a vibrant academic community. 

As chief executive, the President and Provost is also the driving force of UCL’s system of governance. The President and Provost has crucial external roles to play in representing UCL both nationally and internationally, interacting with Government, seeking to influence the development of UK higher education, and developing UCL’s sources of funding, within the UK and abroad, and in seeking philanthropic support for UCL.