Karen O’Brien

Professor Karen O’Brien became Vice-Chancellor and Warden of Durham University in January 2022, leading the institution’s educational and research mission and reporting to its Council. She has driven a period of strategic renewal focused on research growth, inclusion, financial sustainability, and the UN Sustainable Development Goals, strengthening Durham’s global reputation and regional engagement. A member of the Russell Group Board, she contributes to national higher education policy and fosters collaboration with universities, government, and industry across the North East.

Previously, she was Head of the Humanities Division at the University of Oxford, where she oversaw major research successes, record philanthropy, and the creation of the Schwarzman Centre for the Humanities and the Institute for the Ethics of Artificial Intelligence. An award-winning scholar of the European Enlightenment, she has held senior roles at King’s College London, Birmingham, and Cambridge, and is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts.