Press release: Professor Sarah Hart becomes Gresham College’s Acting Provost 

1 April 2025

Former Professor of Geometry returns to help curate the forthcoming academic programme 

We are delighted to announce that Professor Sarah Hart has been appointed Acting Provost of Gresham College.  

A Gresham Emerita Professor, she was the College’s first female Professor of Geometry, serving from 2020-24.  

She is a Professor of Mathematics and until recently was Head of Mathematics and Statistics at Birkbeck, University of London. 

Passionate about communicating mathematics, Professor Hart is a sought-after public speaker. She is particularly interested in the links between mathematics, culture and creativity: many of her public lectures and talks in schools relate to these topics. 

In her role, she will help curate the future programme of the College, which is based in central London and has been offering free academic lectures to the public since 1597. These are available to watch in person or online, and every year millions do.  

Richard Smith, Executive Director of Gresham College, said: “We are delighted that Sarah has joined Gresham College as our interim Provost.  

“She will bring her experience and expertise to guide our academic offering, ensuring we can continue to host high quality and free lectures in the heart of the City of London.” 

Professor Hart said: “I am delighted to be returning to Gresham College as interim Provost. I am most grateful to the College Council for appointing me and look forward to helping with preparations for the forthcoming academic year.  

“Gresham has a long and distinguished history, which provides the platform for an ambitious future strategy.  

“I look forward to working with the Council, Executive Director, staff and our partners to deliver a programme which everyone is proud of.” 

Professor Hart takes over the position of Provost from Professor Martin Elliott. 

Richard Smith said: “We are tremendously grateful for his dedicated leadership and contributions to the College and look forward to a continuing relationship in the years ahead.” 

Catch up with all of Professor Elliott’s Gresham lectures including his 2024 Annual Provost lecture here: https://gres.hm/martin-elliott 

And Professor Hart’s lectures can be watched online at: https://gres.hm/sarah-hart-talks 

Applications for the new permanent Provost are open until April 25. For further details on the role, please visit https://www.minervasearch.com/current-opportunities/gresham/ 

Gresham College is London’s oldest higher education institution. Founded in 1597 under the will of Sir Thomas Gresham, it has been delivering free public lectures for over 427 years from a lineage of leading professors and experts in their field who have included Christopher Wren, Robert Hooke, Iannis Xenakis and Sir Roger Penrose.  

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Images available on request

For more information about this story or to arrange an interview with a Gresham Professor please contact: Phil Creighton press@gresham.ac.uk   

Notes to Editors

About Gresham College  
Gresham College has been providing free, educational lectures - at the university level - since 1597 when Sir Thomas Gresham founded the college to bring Renaissance Learning to Londoners. Our history includes some of the luminaries of the scientific revolution including Robert Hooke and Sir Christopher Wren and connects us to the founding of the Royal Society.  

Today we carry on Sir Thomas's vision. The College aims to stimulate intellectual curiosity and to champion academic rigour, professional expertise and freedom of expression. www.gresham.ac.uk  

Gresham College is a registered charity number 1039962 and relies on donations to help us encourage people's love of learning for many years to come. For more details or to make a gift, visit our website.