Nick Brown (academic)

Nick Leimu-Brown
Leimu-Brown in 2021
Born	Nicholas David Brown (1962-12-04) 4 December 1962 (age 62) Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England
Alma mater	Churchill College, Cambridge University of Aberdeen Linacre College, Oxford
Scientific career
Fields	Ecology plant biology forestry ecological restoration
Institutions	University of Manchester University of Oxford
Thesis	Dipterocarp regeneration in tropical rain forest gaps of different sizes
Doctoral advisor	Timothy Charles Whitmore

Nicholas David Leimu-Brown (born 4 December 1962) is a British botanist and academic. Since 2010, he has been Principal of Linacre College, Oxford. ^{[1] [2]} He is also a Commonwealth Scholarship Commissioner. ^[3]

Early life and education

Leimu-Brown was born on 4 December 1962 in Brockworth, Gloucestershire, England. ^[4] He completed the International Baccalaureate at UWC Atlantic College in Wales from 1979 to 1981. ^[5] He then studied geography at the University of Cambridge (Churchill College) between 1982 – 1985 and then an MSc in ecology at the University of Aberdeen . ^{[4] [5]} From 1986 to 1990 he studied for a DPhil in Forest Ecology under the supervision of Timothy Charles Whitmore at the University of Oxford (Linacre College). ^{[5] [6]} His thesis was entitled "Dipterocarp regeneration in tropical rain forest gaps of different sizes". ^[7] He has also completed a diploma in Learning and Teaching in Higher Education. ^[8]

Career and research

Leimu-Brown was a lecturer at Manchester University from 1989 and then from 1992 to 2010 he was a lecturer in forestry at the University of Oxford. ^{[4] [9] [10] [11]}

In 2010 he took office as the fourth and current Principal of Linacre College, Oxford. ^{[1] [2]} During his tenure, he has championed investment in scholarships and has worked to improve access to graduate degrees, with over 50 scholarships now offered at Linacre in an average year.

Since 2014 he has been a Commonwealth Scholarship Commissioner acting as chair of awards policy committee. ^[3]

Since 2015 he has been the chair of the University of Oxford buildings and estates sub-committee and serves on the planning and resource allocation committee of council. ^{[12] [13]} He also chairs the Radcliffe Observatory Quarter and the Science Area Advisory Boards. ^{[14] [15]}

Personal life

Leimu-Brown has four children; three daughters and one son. ^[16] He has been married to Dr Roosa Leimu-Brown since 2013. ^[16] She is a yoga therapist, movement educator and dance artist with a PhD in biology, ^[17] affiliated with the Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. ^{[18] [19]} Nick Leimu-Brown's hobbies include sailing. ^[20]

References

1. "Dr Nick Brown elected as next Principal of Linacre". News. University of Oxford. 18 November 2009. Archived from the original on 26 April 2014. Retrieved 25 April 2014.
2. "College history | Linacre College". University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
3. "Dr Nick Brown – GOV.UK". gov.uk. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
4. "BROWN, Dr Nicholas David". Who's Who 2016. Oxford University Press. November 2015. Retrieved 5 October 2016.
5. "Nick Brown | LinkedIn". www.linkedin.com. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
6. Burley, Jeffery; Mills, Roger A; Plumptre, Robert A; Savill, Peter S; Wood, Peter J; Wright, Howard L (2009). "A History of Forestry at Oxford University" . British Scholar. 1 (2): 236–261. doi:10.3366/brs.2009.0007.
7. Brown, N. D. (1990). Dipterocarp regeneration in tropical rain forest gaps of different sizes (DPhil thesis). University of Oxford. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
8. "Nick Brown". ResearchGate. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
9. "Dr ND Brown". People. Department of Plant Sciences, University of Oxford. February 2014. Archived from the original on 12 January 2015. Retrieved 12 January 2015.
10. "Oxford Forestry Institute – Annual Report 1994". University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
11. "Plant Sciences Staff". 28 March 2015. Archived from the original on 28 March 2015. Retrieved 16 January 2018.
12. "Buildings and Estates Subcommittee Membership". Buildings and Estates Subcommittee Membership. University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
13. "Connecting Oxfordshire: Local Transport Plan 2015–2031" (PDF). Oxford Futures. 23 March 2015. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
14. "ROQ Advisory Board (ROQAB)". ROQ Advisory Board (ROQAB). University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
15. "Science Area Advisory Board (SAAB)". Science Area Advisory Board (SAAB). University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
16. "Leimu-Brown, Dr Nicholas David, born Brockworth, Glos, 4 Dec. 1962; Principal, Linacre College, Oxford, since 2010". Who's Who 2025 . Oxford University Press. 1 December 2024. Retrieved 30 August 2025.
17. Leimu-Brown, Roosa (2022). "Roosa Leimu-Brown" . Retrieved 3 June 2022.
18. "Dr Roosa Leimu Brown | Plants for the 21st Century Institute". University of Oxford. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
19. "TEST for Africa". testforafrica.com. Retrieved 19 July 2016.
20. "European Outdoor Conservation Association | About Us | Who We Are". European Outdoor Conservation Association | About Us | Who We Are. Retrieved 19 July 2016.

Academic offices
Preceded by Paul Slack	Principal of Linacre College, Oxford 2010–present	Incumbent