Ian Walmsley to step down as Imperial’s Provost

Professor Ian Walmsley CBE FRS and Chair in Experimental Physics will stand down as Imperial’s Provost in September 2025 to pursue new opportunities.

Serving as Provost since 2018, Ian has led Imperial’s academic mission and overseen its research, education and innovation activity. His leadership has helped maintain Imperial’s leading position as a research-led university.  

This included spearheading Imperial’s Academic Strategy and championing key academic initiatives in Science for Humanity, backing of innovative new ventures such as I-X and the Institute for Deep Tech Entrepreneurship, that have driven interdisciplinary research, pushed forward digital learning and expanded the innovation ecosystem.  

"Ian’s outstanding academic leadership has ensured Imperial remains one of the world’s best research-led universities." Professor Hugh Brady President of Imperial College London

A steadfast champion of Imperial’s values, he has actively promoted our diversity, not least through his Provost’s Visiting Professor scheme, which has brought a range of global perspectives into our work. 

To our community, Ian has been an inspiring and consistent source of support and a visible champion for our work. His leadership was crucial during the COVID-19 pandemic, where we pivoted to new ways of working and hybrid-learning to deliver a world-class education during a time of immense change. 

President Professor Hugh Brady said:

“Ian’s outstanding academic leadership has ensured Imperial remains one of the world’s best research-led universities. He has also been a strong figurehead for our community, and I am extremely grateful to him for all his support and advice. I wish him well for his future.” 

Provost Professor Ian Walmsley said:

“Imperial has provided some of my most formative learning experiences, both as a scientist and an academic leader. It has been a privilege to have been part of this exceptional community.” 

Professor Walmsley graduated from Imperial with first-class honours in physics in 1980 and completed his PhD at the University of Rochester before working as a postdoc at Cornell University.  

"Imperial has provided some of my most formative learning experiences, both as a scientist and an academic leader. It has been a privilege to have been part of this exceptional community." Professor Ian Walmsley Provost of Imperial College London

Following a number of roles at Rochester, the University of Oxford and Princeton University, he was appointed Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) of the University of Oxford in 2009, becoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research and Innovation) in 2015.  

He was a member of the EPSRC Council, chaired the Beirat of the Max Born Institute in Berlin, was on the Max Planck Institute for Quantum Optics’ Science Advisory Board, and was the international advisor for the Japanese Institute for Molecular Science. 

In recognition of his contributions to quantum optics and ultrafast optics, Professor Walmsley was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2012. He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the American Physical Society and the Optical Society of America (now Optica), of which he was President in 2018. 

In 2024, Professor Walmsley was awarded a CBE for services to science and to quantum technologies.  

The university has engaged the search firm Perrett Laver to support the appointment process for the Provost and Deputy President of Imperial. A global search will begin in the coming days.