Colin Riordan
Colin Riordan | |
|---|---|
.jpg) Professor Riordan in 2019 | |
| Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University | |
| In office September 2012 – August 2023 | |
| Preceded by | Sir David Grant |
| Succeeded by | Wendy Larner |
| Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex | |
| In office October 2007 – 2012 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Ivor Crewe |
| Succeeded by | Anthony Forster |
| Personal details | |
| Born | 27 July 1959 Paderborn, Germany |
| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Manchester |
Colin Bryan Riordan CBE FLSW (born 27 July 1959) is a British academic who was formerly President and Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University from September 2012 to August 2023.[1]
Education
[edit | edit source]Riordan obtained his PhD from the University of Manchester in 1986.[2]
Career
[edit | edit source]Riordan taught English as a foreign language at Julius-Maximilians-Universitat Wurzburg in Germany (1982–84). He was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in German at Swansea University from 1986 to 1998.
He became Professor of German at Newcastle University in 1998, later being appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences in August 2005.[3]
In October 2007, he took up the post of Vice-Chancellor at the University of Essex.[4] On 1 September 2012, he became Vice-Chancellor of Cardiff University.[5]
In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.[6]
In 2015, under his purview as Vice-Chancellor, Riordan announced that Cardiff University would launch five new flagship research centres, each focusing on a world issue. These include resolving chronic diseases; the scarcity of water; the prevention of crime; studying big data; and creating smarter energy systems.[7]
Riordan was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to higher education.[8]
Research and publications
[edit | edit source]He has published on post-war German literature and culture,[9] including editing books on the writers Jurek Becker, Uwe Johnson and Peter Schneider.[10]
Personal life
[edit | edit source]In November 2017, shortly after missing Bisexual Visibility Day, Riordan came out as bisexual in a monthly email to staff.[11] The BBC quoted him as saying, "Only a few vice chancellors have spoken out about being gay or lesbian and none about being bi, as far as I'm aware."[12] He has two daughters from a former marriage.[13]
Memberships
[edit | edit source]- Vice-president and board member of Universities UK[14]
- Board member of the Leadership Foundation for Higher Education[15]
- Trustee, the Edge Foundation[16]
- Member of UK NARIC Advisory Council[17]
- Member of UCAS board of trustees[18]
- Board member of the Equality Challenge Unit[19]
- Chair, Universities UK International (UUKi)[20]
- Member of the International Education Council sponsored by the Department of Business, Innovation and Skills[21]
- Chair of the International Policy Network of Universities UK[14]
In 2013 he became chair of Higher Education Wales, the body which represents the interests of Higher Education Institutions in Wales.
References
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- Living people
- 1959 births
- Linguists from the United Kingdom
- Alumni of the University of Manchester
- Academics of Cardiff University
- Academics of Swansea University
- Academics of Newcastle University
- Academics of the University of Essex
- British bisexual men
- People from Cardiff
- Commanders of the Order of the British Empire
- Fellows of the Learned Society of Wales