Professor Les Ebdon CBE - Chair

Vice-Chancellor – University of Bedfordshire

Professor Les Ebdon CBE DL took up his appointment as Vice-Chancellor of the, now, University of Bedfordshire in 2003. Since then he has led the University through a successful development programme with growth in student numbers to over 24,000 and a merger in August 2006 with the Bedford faculty of De Montfort University to form the new University of Bedfordshire.

He is active regionally as the higher education member of the South East Midlands Local Enterprise Partnership Board, Deputy Lieutenant for Bedfordshire, President of the United Nations Association-Luton, Vice Patron of Luton Christian Education Trust, Vice President of The Bedford Hospitals Charity, and Patron of The Bletchley Park Trust. Nationally, he is the Chair of the University think-tank – million+, a Board member of the Universities and Colleges Employers’ Association, a member of the Universities UK Board, Chair of the Universities UK Students, Quality and Participation Policy Network and a member of the Universities UK Health Education and Research Policy Network. He serves on the Further Education and Skills Ministerial Advisory Panel, is a member of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills Measurement Board, a member of the Parliamentary University Group Council, a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and a Fellow of the Royal Society for the Arts. He also serves on the Editorial Board of the Times Higher Education Supplement and two international learned society editorial boards.

His research interests are in environmental analytical chemistry and his various contributions to sensor development and our understanding of the behaviour and importance of trace elements in the environment have led to some 270 learned publications and to several awards. He is a Member of the Joint Research Centre of the European Commission Thematic Area Board ‘Reference Materials and Measurements’.