Dr Astrid Wissenburg

Astrid Wissenburg

Biography 

Drs. Astrid Wissenburg is passionate about making knowledge and research accessible and usable, as widely as possible. She champions better research cultures and supporting our early career researchers, and is proud to be a trustee of CRAC/Vitae.

Astrid is Divisional Director of Research at the University of Exeter (UoE), and responsibilities include the University Research and Impact Strategy and associated strategic initiatives, as well as policy areas such as research culture and integrity, research infrastructure and capital. She leads the UoE Research Division which includes the Doctoral College (supporting UoE post-graduate and early career research community); Research Services (support for bidding and delivering research projects; REF and any successors; and our Faculty and Institute research activities); the UoE university-wide academic Research Software Engineering group; and Technical Services (supporting our research and education infrastructure through labs and specialist research facilities).

Astrid is a trustee and past chair of the Careers Research and Advisory Centre (CRAC), the UK's leading expert in the field of career development for postgraduate researchers, and is a past trustee of MentorUK - a UK-wide charity committed to promoting evidence-based prevention to protect children and young people from alcohol and drugs misuse. She was, until 2016, a member of the UUK Open Access Group.

Astrid's previous post was as Director Research, Scholarship and Quality at the Open University (OU). Astrid joined the OU from the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), where she was Deputy Chief Executive and Director for Partnerships and Communications. Astrid also led for Research Councils UK on its economic and societal impact strategy, and on open access to research information. Earlier appointments at UK and Dutch universities covered were in the fields of library and information environment, computer-based learning and applied information management for historical research.

Astrid holds a postgraduate degree in contemporary international history from the University of Nijmegen; a postgraduate certificate in information technology from the University of Leiden; and a Master of Public Administration from Warwick Business School. Most recently she added a MSc in Systems Thinking from the Open University to the list, and is currently considering her next challenge.