Hai-Sui Yu has been the interim Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leeds since 1 November 2023.
He joined the University of Leeds in 2016 from the University of Nottingham, where he served as Pro Vice-Chancellor (Global Engagement), Executive Dean of the Faculty of Engineering and Head of the School of Civil Engineering.
Before his current role he was Leeds’ Provost and Deputy Vice-Chancellor, providing oversight and coordination of the University’s academic strategy and its planning and delivery as well as Leeds’ international strategy and sector-leading Climate Plan [spotlight.leeds.ac.uk] and 2030 net zero greenhouse gas target.
Professor Yu’s other responsibilities include line managing the Executive Deans of all seven academic faculties and the University’s Deans for Global Development; Global Engagement; Cultural Engagement; Equity, Diversity and Inclusion; and Digital Transformation, as well as the Director of Strategic Planning and Performance.
During his academic career he has worked with many leading institutions in North America, Australasia, Asia and Europe and was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2011 for outstanding personal engineering achievement. He is Leeds’ Professor of Geotechnical Engineering.
As Interim Vice-Chancellor and President, Professor Yu chairs the University’s Senate – its principal academic authority – as well as the University Executive Group.