Prof Gwen van der Velden

Professor Gwen van der Velden DBA NTF PFHEA was until recently Deputy Pro Vice Chancellor (Education) at the University of Warwick. Since 2024 she has been working on Educational Reconstruction with policy and education leaders in Ukraine. Gwen is now based in Education Studies, a section of the School for Education, Learning and Communication Sciences. Pending final approvals, Gwen is Co-Director of the University Research Centre for Peace making, Reconstruction and Equitable Futures. In 2025 she was deeply grateful to accept a Visiting Professorship from V.N. Karazin Kharkiv National University.

Coming from a background in Education, Gwen has specialised in Organisational Culture and Leadership and has worked nationally and internationally with policy leaders on a range of educational matters. Gwen has chaired the oversight group for the UK’s National Student Survey (NSS), contributed to the setting of national standards on Student Engagement and has a track record of leading cross institutional educational change in different Universities. In previous roles Gwen has been responsible for Quality Management, Academic Staff Development, Student Learning Services, Educational Technology, Digital Transformation and other aspects of providing Educational Excellence. At the Universities of Kent, Bath and now Warwick, Gwen has led these institutions to top ten positions in national university rankings and through external quality engagements. Alongside this, Gwen has chaired various national networks and has led international leadership development efforts. She is also a member of NHS Boards covering condition specific research oversight, patient and public voice representation, supporting relevant clinical commissioning and is involved in an NIHR funded medical research project within the same context.

Gwen completed her Bachelors and Masters degrees in the Netherlands and her doctorate (Higher Education Management) at the University of Bath in the UK. Gwen has been awarded the UK National Teaching Fellowship in 2018 and became Principal Fellow of the Higher Education Academy in 2016.

Gwen is easiest to reach through email .