IARU Newsletter Issue 3

As Cambridge's tenure as Chair and Secretariat of IARU draws to a close, we are delighted to welcome Professor Daya Reddy of the University of Cape Town as the new Chair of IARU. The UCT Secretariat team will be led by Carolyn Newton, IARU Senior Officer for UCT, who has had a long association with the alliance.

The IARU Presidents' had a productive and successful meeting in Zurich earlier this year, welcoming a number of new Vice-Chancellors and Presidents to the group. We look forward to the Senior Officers' Meeting which will be held at the Australian National University in September 2023.

We are always happy to receive any feedback, suggestions or content for future newsletters, so please do get in touch with the Secretariat on This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

You can view the newsletter as a pdf or explore the content through the links below.

Presidents' Meeting 2023

The Presidents met in January and were pleased to welcome Professor Gong Qihuang (PKU), Professor Irene Tracey (Oxford) and Dr Anthony Freeling (Cambridge) to their first IARU meetings.

Net zero in universities

At the Presidents' Meeting, Dr Claudia Zingerli (Head of Sustainability at ETH Zürich) outlined ETH's ambitious plans to achieve net zero by 2030.

Chair and Secretariat transition

Professor Daya Reddy, interim Vice-Chancellor of UCT, will serve as the new IARU Chair, joined by the team at UCT who will lead on Secretariat duties.

Global Transformations Borderlands field course

We are delighted to see the return of the Borderlands field course, a cornerstone of the IARU Global Transformations group. Based in Chiang Mai, Thailand, this course provides valuable experiences for IARU students.

In the spotlight: Getting to know our IARU members

Dr Rui Brandao, Director of IT Services at ETH Zürich, has led the IARU Cybersecurity Forum since 2020. The work of this group focuses on the balance between academic freedom and the need for efficiency and security in IT, a challenge common to all IARU universities.

Global Internships Program 2023

Another initiative that has benefitted from the return of international travel, is our Global Internship Program. Find out more about this year's opportunities for IARU students.

CYBATHLON 2024

A flagship project of ETH Zürich, CYBATHLON is an initiative that brings together education, research, outreach and technology transfer in the field of assistive technology. IARU universities are especially encouraged to participate in the 2024 edition.

IARU Contacts

See what's coming up in the IARU Calendar, contact the Secretariat or find the key contacts for your institution.