Professor Eric Thomas is Vice-Chancellor of the University of Bristol, a position he has held since 2001. He is Chair of the England and Northern Ireland Council of Universities UK (UUK), as well as Chair of UUK's Research Policy Committee and a member of the UUK Executive Committee. He was a member and trustee of the Universities and Colleges Admissions service, and has chaired the government Taskforce into Increasing Voluntary Giving in Higher Education, which reported in 2004. He was Chair of the Worldwide Universities Network from 2003 to 2007, and a member of the Board of the South-West Regional Development Agency from 2002 to 2008.

He graduated in Medicine from the University of Newcastle upon Tyne in 1976 and proceeded to obtain his MD by thesis in research into endometriosis in 1987. He trained as an Obstetrician and Gynaecologist and worked at both University of Sheffield and Newcastle University. In 1991, he was appointed Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology at the University of Southampton, becoming Head of the School of Medicine in 1995 and Dean of the Faculty of Medicine, Health and Biological Sciences in 1998. He was a Consultant Gynaecologist from 1987 to 2001.

Professor Thomas is a Deputy Lieutenant of the City and County of Bristol.

Professor Thomas will be participating in the What makes a truly global university? session.