Professor Colin Riordan took up the post of President and Vice-Chancellor at Cardiff University on 1 September 2012. Previously he was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Essex, having been appointed in October 2007.
Professor Riordan taught English as a foreign language at Julius-Maximilians-Universität Würzburg in Germany (1982-84) and was Lecturer, then Senior Lecturer in German at Swansea University (1986-1998). He moved to Newcastle University as Professor in German in 1998, becoming Pro Vice-Chancellor and Provost of the Faculty of Humanities and Social Sciences.
Professor Riordan is Chair of The Conversation (UK), a Council member of the Association of Commonwealth Universities and a Board member of the Edge Foundation since December 2010. He is a Fulbright Commissioner and chairs Universities UK’s Outward Student Mobility Board.
