Audrey Leuba appointed Rector of the University of Geneva

At its meeting on Wednesday 29 November 2023, the Geneva Council of State appointed Professor Audrey Leuba as Rector of the University of Geneva for the period 1 April 2024 to 14 July 2028, confirming the choice made by the University Assembly.

The decision by Geneva's Council of State to appoint Audrey Leuba is historic as it is the first time that a woman will head the institution, 464 years after it was founded by Jean Calvin.

Professor Leuba said: "Striving for excellence in a changing world means encouraging research and training critical and committed minds while positioning the University of Geneva as a model of socio-ecological transition."

Keen to rethink how we live together and establish strong links within the university community, the new rector also emphasized the attention she intends to pay to students: "They are at the center of our concerns. The University has to be constantly aware of their needs in terms of training, employability, and stimulating activities on campus".

After studying law at the University of Neuchâtel, Audrey Leuba qualified as a barrister and then went on to complete a master's degree (LL.M) at Harvard Law School with a junior research grant from the Swiss National Science Foundation. In 1994, she passed the New York State bar exam. She wrote her doctoral thesis on the division of labor between spouses in light of the principle of equality between men and women. In 2006, she became a full professor at the University of Geneva. She teaches family law, estate planning, and adult protection.

> Read an interview with Audrey Leuba in Le Journal de l'UNIGE (in French).
> Read the UNIGE press release