Oxford makes history with first woman vice chancellor - and she's Irish

Oxford University is set to appoint an Irish woman as its first female vice chancellor.

Louise Richardson from Tramore in Co Waterford is a political scientist and is the first woman to take up the position in the University's 785-year history.

Richardson's area of expertise is the growth of terrorist movements. She is currently principal and vice chancellor at the University of St Andrews in Scotland and previously held a number of positions at Harvard University in the US.

She attended Trinity College as a student.

She told The Guardian: “I look forward to the day when a woman being appointed isn’t in itself news,” Richardson said. “Unfortunately, academia like most professions is pyramid-shaped – the higher up you go the fewer women there are.”

Chris Patten, the university’s chancellor, said in a statement that Richardson’s “distinguished record both as an educational leader and as an outstanding scholar provides an excellent basis for her to lead Oxford in the coming years”.

Richardson’s parents still live in Tramore. She told the Guardian: "I think they are delighted and proud."