6 November 2026 | Murdoch University in Perth, Australia
On 6 November 2026, the IAU community elected a new President and Administrative Board to serve the Association for the 2026–2030 term. The elections took place at the IAU 17th General Conference, hosted by Murdoch University in Perth, Australia, where Member institutions and organisations from around the world gathered to set the Association's strategic direction for the next four years.
IAU President 2026-2030
Delegates elected Patrick Deane, Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Queen's University, Canada, as IAU President 2026–2030. Elected for a four-year non-renewable term, the President chairs the Administrative Board and the Executive Committee and will lead the Association as it implements the Strategy 2030.
The 2026–2030 Administrative Board
All members of the Administrative Board are elected for a four-year term. In addition to the President, the Board comprises 20 members — 18 heads of Member institutions and 2 heads of Member organisations — with two ex-officio members (the Immediate Past President and the Secretary General). Two deputy members were also elected. The IAU election slate, proposed by the elections committee, ensures that geographic and gender balance are taken into consideration.
IAU Administrative Board 2026-2030
The full Board members elected for 2026–2030 are:
Africa:
Nana Aba Appiah Amfo — Vice-Chancellor, University of Ghana, Ghana
Sunungurai Dominica Chingarande — Vice-Chancellor, Women's University in Africa, Zimbabwe
Francis Petersen — Vice-Chancellor and Principal, University of Pretoria, South Africa
Wondwosen Tamrat — President, St Mary's University, Ethiopia
Americas:
Airini — President and Vice-Chancellor, Thompson Rivers University, Canada
Patrick Deane — IAU President; Principal and Vice-Chancellor, Queen's University, Canada
Maysa Furlan — Rector, São Paulo State University (UNESP), Brazil
Stéphanie Lavaux — Rector, Universidad del Rosario, Colombia
David Quigley — Provost and Dean of Faculties, Boston College, United States
Asia and Pacific:
Jekuk Chang — President, Dongseo University, Republic of Korea
M.R. Kabir — Vice-Chancellor, Daffodil International University, Bangladesh
Aishath Shehenaz Adam — Vice-Chancellor, The Maldives National University
Miki Sugimura — President, Sophia University, Japan
Europe:
Gergely Deli — Rector, Ludovika University of Public Service, Hungary
Juli Minoves-Triquell — Rector, Universitat d'Andorra, Andorra
Mia Rönnmar — Rector, Malmö University, Sweden
Patrick Scauflaire — President-Rector, Université Catholique de Lille, France
Arnd Steinmetz — President, Darmstadt University of Applied Sciences, Germany
Organisations:
Amr Ezzat Salama — Secretary-General, Association of Arab Universities (AaRU)
Cristina Sarmento — Secretary-General, Associação das Universidades de Língua Portuguesa (AULP)
Deputy Board Members:
Shawn Chen — Chairman, Sias University, China
Isaiah Iguna Chabaari Wakindiki — Vice-Chancellor, KCA University, Kenya
Ex-Officio Members:
The Board also includes two ex-officio members: the Immediate Past President, Andrew Deeks, and the Secretary General, Hilligje van't Land.
Gratitude for the Outgoing President and Board
The IAU extends its sincere gratitude to Andrew Deeks, IAU President 2022-2026, for his dedicated leadership of the Association over the past four years. We are pleased that he will continue to serve the IAU as Immediate Past President in an ex officio capacity on the 2026-2030 Administrative Board, providing continuity and institutional memory as the Association enters its next term.
Our thanks also go to the members of the 2022–2026 Administrative Board, whose commitment and guidance have shaped the Association's work and steered the IAU Secretariat through the past term.
About IAU Governance
The General Conference is the highest decision-making body of the Association. The General Conference convenes every four years to discuss the Association's main strategic goals, approve its four-year strategy, adopt policy statements, and elect the President and members of the Administrative Board. Between General Conferences, the Administrative Board and the Executive Committee — composed of the President and four Vice-Presidents, each representing a different region of the world — guide the Association's action agenda.
