Uploaded August 2026 | Updated September 2026, 2 hours ago
Ian Jacobs in conversation with Christina Slade — 30 July 2026
Christie Slade, President of the Royal Society of NSW, will be talking with some of the very many distinguished Australians who live and work outside Australia.
In the second of a series of conversations, Christie Slade speaks with Professor Ian Jacobs FRSN FRCOG FAHMS. Ian Jacobs is a British‑Australian medical researcher and university leader known for pioneering work in ovarian cancer screening, founding the women’s cancer charity The Eve Appeal, and leading major institutions in both the UK and Australia. Born in London in 1957, he became the first in his family to attend university, studying at Trinity College, Cambridge and Middlesex Hospital Medical School. Raised in North London, Jacobs speaks about how publicly funded education enabled his trajectory—an important theme in his reflections on higher‑education policy.
His academic career spans UCL, Manchester, Cambridge and the University of NSW, where he served as Vice‑Chancellor (2015–2022). He now chairs the Board of City St George's,, University of London. He brings an alert eye to the similarities and differences between Australian and UK societies and higher education.
Ian Jacobs in conversation with Christina Slade — 30 July 2026
Christie Slade, President of the Royal Society of NSW, will be talking with some of the very many distinguished Australians who live and work outside Australia.
In the second of a series of conversations, Christie Slade speaks with Professor Ian Jacobs FRSN FRCOG FAHMS. Ian Jacobs is a British‑Australian medical researcher and university leader known for pioneering work in ovarian cancer screening, founding the women’s cancer charity The Eve Appeal, and leading major institutions in both the UK and Australia. Born in London in 1957, he became the first in his family to attend university, studying at Trinity College, Cambridge and Middlesex Hospital Medical School. Raised in North London, Jacobs speaks about how publicly funded education enabled his trajectory—an important theme in his reflections on higher‑education policy.
His academic career spans UCL, Manchester, Cambridge and the University of NSW, where he served as Vice‑Chancellor (2015–2022). He now chairs the Board of City St George's,, University of London. He brings an alert eye to the similarities and differences between Australian and UK societies and higher education.
