Vice-Chancellor Professor Bryony James

Professor Bryony James is the Vice-Chancellor of Victoria University of Wellington.

Professor Bryony James became the Vice-Chancellor in June 2026. Prior to that she was the Provost at Te Herenga Waka, starting in October 2023.

She has previously held various leadership roles in the New Zealand university sector, including Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at the University of Waikato, and Deputy Dean (Research) and Associate Dean (Research) in the Faculty of Engineering at the University of Auckland.

Professor James gained her PhD in Materials Engineering from the University of Auckland, and her Bachelor of Engineering with Honours from the University of Bath in the United Kingdom.  Over the decades of her academic career her research interests evolved from traditional areas of materials engineering to the intersection of materials, food and nutrition.

Professor James has been recognised for her teaching with an Auckland University Engineering Alumni Teaching Excellence Award, an Ako Aotearoa National Tertiary Teaching Excellence Award, and a University of Auckland award for Sustained Excellence in Teaching.

Current Term

For the duration of her appointment as Vice-Chancellor.