By Amy Ripley (PR & Communications Manager), Published (Updated )
Professor Anthony Finkelstein CBE FREng has been appointed the new President of City, University of London. Anthony will join City next year from his position as the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security.
He will take over from City’s current President, Professor Sir Paul Curran, who announced last December that he would be standing down in 2021 after what will have been 11 years at City.
Anthony Finkelstein was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security in December 2015. His research is based at The Alan Turing Institute and he holds a Chair in Software Systems Engineering at University College London (UCL).
Prior to assuming his current position, he was Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences and Head of UCL Computer Science. His scientific work is in the broad area of systems engineering.
Anthony was selected for the role by a selection panel comprising independent members of City’s Council, the outgoing and incoming President of the Students’ Union and staff members representing academic faculty and Professional Services. Anthony will also be appointed Professor of Software Systems Engineering within City’s School of Mathematics, Computer Science and Engineering.
Julia Palca, Chair of the City’s Council, said:
I am delighted that Anthony has accepted our invitation to become City’s next President. I am sure that he will make an outstanding contribution to the University. Anthony impressed us all with his values, his ambition for City and with his outstanding track record of successful leadership and performance, both within and outside the university sector. His passion for City, and for our students, was evident. I believe that his knowledge and experience, together with his engaging and inclusive personality, will help us create a City for the future which will be a great place to study and to conduct research.
Professor Finkelstein has strong personal links to City; he was a Professor and the Head of Computer Science at City between 1994 and 1997, prior to his appointment at University College London. His late father, Professor Ludwik Finkelstein OBE, was a distinguished scholar and honorary graduate who made a seminal contribution to Engineering and its organisation at City, as the first Executive Dean of the School and subsequently as Pro-Vice-Chancellor when City gained its Charter in 1966. In 2018, Anthony was awarded an honorary degree by City for his outstanding contribution to science.
Professor Finkelstein said:
It is a great honour to be appointed President of City and, of course, my strong links to City give this particular personal resonance. I very much look forward to working in partnership with the Council, staff and students to realise the outstanding potential of City. City has unique strengths, built through collective hard work and commitment, my job will be to help take these to the next level. Along the way we will have an opportunity collectively for fun, creativity and making a difference.
Saqlain Riaz, President of City's Students’ Union said:
We would like to wish a warm welcome to Anthony as the next President of City, University of London. We were involved at every stage of the appointment process and have the utmost confidence in Anthony's abilities as the visible leader of our community. His family's historical ties to City are inspiring and we hope to continue building our staff and student communities under his leadership. The Students' Union has always valued a robust relationship with the University's Executive Team and we hope to maintain this in the future to allow for meaningful engagement, transparency and accountability across the board. Welcome Anthony!
Professor Finkelstein is also a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London, the University of South Australia and at the National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan. He is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng), an elected Member of Academia Europaea (MAE) and a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute (FCGI).