"Master of Darwin College"

Darwin College, founded in 1964, is home to a vibrant and supportive community of around 800 postgraduate students and 70 Fellows. In culture, it is egalitarian, non-hierarchical and inclusive, both intellectually serious and socially relaxed. This highly international College is proud of the rich opportunities it provides for cross-sector collaboration. It hosts the annual Darwin College Lecture Series, which attracts high-profile speakers and large public audiences. Darwin College aspires to be the pre-eminent postgraduate and research-intensive College at the University of Cambridge and to contribute to addressing environmental and societal challenges.

A new Master is sought to succeed Dr Mike Rands who will complete his time in post in Summer 2026. The Master leads the College as a community of self-governing scholars, and acts as its external ambassador. The Master is expected to provide intellectual and strategic leadership and to engage fully in the academic and social life of the College, including convening and supporting events. The post-holder will oversee delivery of the College’s Strategic Plan 2020-2032, and will continue to shape and influence it. They will also commit to securing the philanthropic support upon which the ambitious projects of the College depend.

The College seeks candidates who have a deep understanding of the values and demands of a scholarly environment, who will be committed to academic excellence, and who will bring proven success in collaborative leadership. Candidates must be committed to addressing major global challenges such as inequity, sustainability and health and to engaging with the issues facing a highly diverse body of graduate students. They will demonstrate the confidence and personality to act as an ambassador for the College both within Cambridge and externally.

Further information relating to the opportunity and how to apply is available directly from Minerva via https://www.minervasearch.com/current-opportunities/darwin/.

For an informal and confidential discussion, please contact darwin@minervasearch.com. The date for receiving applications, which should be in the form of a CV and cover letter, is Monday 6th October 2025.