Bradford Vice-Chancellor to retire to spend more time with family
University of Bradford Vice-Chancellor Professor Shirley Congdon is to retire at the end of 2025 to spend more time with her family.
Professor Congdon is the University’s eighth vice-chancellor and the first woman to hold the position, which she has held since August 2019.
Her legacy includes leading the University to four successive number one rankings on the Higher Education Policy Institute’s Social Mobility Index (in 2021, 2022, 2023 and 2024), and implementing a ‘values-led’ culture.
Professor Congdon said: “I have taken the very difficult decision to retire as Vice-Chancellor of this amazing university to spend more time with my family. The last six years have presented many challenges and opportunities and I am proud to have led the University with such an amazing group of people.
“Decisions such as these are always difficult but I truly believe that as the University enters its 60th year in 2026 it will rise to new heights and will continue to make a difference through its approach to learning, teaching and research. It has been an honour to serve as its Vice-Chancellor and I will miss both the place and the people.”
The process of recruiting a new Vice-Chancellor will begin shortly.
Chair of Council Rod Bristow said: “Professor Congdon’s commitment to the University of Bradford is both significant and inspirational. Her stewardship of the University of Bradford has included some tremendous achievements, not least of which has been placing equality and opportunity at the heart of everything we do, in addition to steering a path through the challenging landscape in which the higher education sector finds itself.
“I want to add my voice to the many in thanking Professor Congdon for the service she has given to the University over the last 16 years. It was her embodiment of Bradford’s values that attracted me to join this university in the first place. Despite the significant challenges that we share with the sector, I haven’t regretted it for a second thanks in significant part to Shirley’s leadership qualities.”
Key milestones
The University has celebrated numerous award successes under Professor Congdon’s leadership, including:
- University of the Year for Social Inclusion by The Times/Sunday Times in 2019
- Queen’s Anniversary Prize 2021 for its world-leading work in developing archaeological technology
- Office for Students Silver Status for teaching in 2023
- University of the Year at the 2024 Social Mobility Awards
- Times Higher Education Award 2024 for Outstanding Contribution to Equality, Diversity and Inclusion
- Ranked 511 in the world and 47 in UK by QS Word University Rankings 2026 (highest ranking since 2014)
In addition, a number of groundbreaking projects have also been instigated under Professor Congdon’s watch, including:
- Strategic partner of Bradford 2025 UK City of Culture, playing a significant role in the successful bid process
- Bradford Energy Network’s biggest customer and instrumental to making the city-wide net zero project economically feasible
- £3.37m Bradford-Renduchintala Centre for Space AI (opened in 2022), offering £10,000 scholarships to qualifying students
- £2.5m Bradford-Renduchintala Enterprise Ecosystem (launched in 2024), a fast-track business start-up initiative that is already support 35 new businesses
- Securing 135 £10,000 scholarships from the Office for Students for its MSc Applied AI and Data Analytics between 2020 and 2025
Last year, the University of Bradford secured over £20m in research grants and 77 per cent of its research impact has been classed as Excellent or World Leading by the Higher Education Funding Council for England.
Around 80% of its courses are accredited and it offers a wide range of paid sandwich years. While more than half its students come from the most deprived backgrounds, according to the most recent Higher Education Statistics Agency report, 92% of its UK-domiciled undergraduates were in work or further education 15 months after graduation.
More about Professor Congdon
Originally qualifying as a Registered Nurse, Professor Congdon’s professional and academic expertise lies within the area of health and social care, service modernisation and cultural change, research methods and evidence-based practice. She has a strong track record in all aspects of university leadership, having worked within the field of higher education for 25 years and held senior roles in three different universities. She joined the University of Bradford in October 2009 and became Vice-Chancellor in August 2019.
She is committed to values-led leadership, equality, diversity and inclusion, increasing social inclusion and mobility through widening participation in higher education, opening up opportunities and unlocking potential for people of all backgrounds.
A tireless ambassador for students, she is committed to ensuring they get the best possible education and support that leads to a rewarding career after they graduate. Her number one priority has been to place the student experience at the heart of all aspects of University activities.