Barry Winn

Vice-Chancellor & President

Professor Barry Winn has served as Vice-Chancellor and President of Taylor's University in Malaysia since January 2024. Taylor's is one of the leading private universities in Malaysia and Southeast Asia, and Winn leads its academic and research strategy with the goal of placing it among the world's top 200 universities within the next decade through strengthened pillars of learning and teaching, research, and engagement. Winn brings nearly four decades of experience in academic leadership, research, and institutional development. Prior to Taylor's, he was Vice-Chancellor of Sohar University in Oman from 2015 to 2022, where he oversaw the student body's growth to 7,000 and the academic faculty's expansion to 180. He also held the positions of Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Academic Development at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom, Pro Vice-Chancellor for Research and Enterprise at the University of Hull, and Dean of the School of Life Sciences at Bradford. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Medicine since 2003 and a Fellow of the American Academy of Optometry since 2001. Winn holds a doctorate from the Council for National Academic Awards in the United Kingdom, and a first-class honours bachelor's degree in ophthalmic optics. He has produced more than 100 peer-reviewed publications in optometry and vision science, and is regarded internationally as a distinguished expert in the development of higher-education systems and university governance. His vision at Taylor's centres on appointing dedicated pro-vice-chancellors for learning and teaching, research, and engagement, and on developing contemporary programmes aligned with the demands of the twenty-first-century knowledge economy.