Ian Jacobs (born 6 October 1957[1]) is an academic, medical doctor, gynaecological oncologist, charity founder[2] and university leader from the UK, with dual British and Australian citizenship.

[3] He began as the ninth president and vice-chancellor of the University of New South Wales in Australia in February 2015.

[6] Jacobs was promoted to Professor of Gynaecological Cancer at the Queen Mary University of London in 1999[10] and was Director of the Cancer Institute and Associate Research Dean before joining University College London (UCL) in 2004 as the head of the gynaecologic oncology research department.

[20] After seven years, he departed from UCL in 2011 to take up the position of vice-president of the University of Manchester and the dean of its Faculty of Medical and Human Sciences.

[10] He also led the Manchester Academic Health Science Centre, which partnered the university with six NHS hospitals.

The strategy, published in October 2015 after wide-ranging consultation with the UNSW Sydney community, incorporated Jacobs’ belief in universities as the drivers of societal and economic transformation.

The research found that although ovarian cancer can be detected early and before women develop symptoms, this does not translate into saving lives.

[36] Jacobs is founder, non-executive director and consultant to Abcodia, a University College London spin-out company involved in biomarker discovery and development.