Jacinda Ardern to take on professor role at University of Sydney

The former prime minister of New Zealand, Jacinda Ardern, is set to become a professor at the University of Sydney.

Ardern, who led the country through the Covid-19 pandemic as well as the Christchurch terrorist attack, will join the university’s public health school in a part-time paid position as “professor of practice” later this month.

Sydney would not say how much time Arden will spend on campus, but she has signed a five-year contract for the position.

Her work will focus on empathetic leadership, civic trust and social cohesion, as well as exploring solutions to global health challenges. She will also focus on equity, inclusion and well-being. 

Ardern will engage with students and researchers by presenting guest lectures, masterclasses and mentoring throughout her role, Sydney said.

“I’m delighted to be joining the University of Sydney. I’ve found myself especially focused on the question of leadership since leaving office – and how we can better support and encourage the kind of leadership needed to tackle our many global challenges,” said Ardern.

She said she was “looking forward” to “working alongside the brilliant students, faculty, and wider University of Sydney community, as we share experiences, explore and develop ways to better serve our communities, and help solve the issues facing so many today”.

After stepping down as prime minister in 2023, Ardern has undertaken numerous fellowships at Harvard University, where she also focused on public leadership. In 2024, she joined the University of Oxford’s Blavatnik School of Government as a distinguished fellow and member of its world leaders circle.

University of Sydney vice-chancellor Mark Scott said Ardern “led New Zealand through events of profound consequence and her leadership demonstrated that empathy and resolve do not compete with one another; each can strengthen the other”.

“For our students, the opportunity to learn from Dame Jacinda is exceptional. They will meet not only a former prime minister, but a thoughtful teacher with a great deal to share about public leadership and service.”

juliette.rowsell@timeshighereducation.com