Sir Nigel Thrift is the Executive Director of Schwarzman Scholars, an international leadership program at Beijing’s Tsinghua University. One of the world’s leading human geographers, he's previously held posts at institutions including the University of Wales, Aberystwyth; the University of Wales, Lampeter; and the University of Bristol. He served as vice-chancellor and president of the University of Warwick, and as pro-vice-chancellor for research at the University of Oxford. A Fellow of the British Academy, Thrift has received numerous academic awards and holds honorary degrees from Bristol and Monash universities. He was knighted in 2015 for services to higher education. His research interests include universities and new forms of politics.