Jacinda Ardern joins up with Australian university for new job

Former New Zealand prime minister Jacinda Ardern continues to put down post-politics roots in Australia, with her new gig at the University of Sydney announced this morning.

Ardern will join the sandstone institution as a “professor of practice” at the School of Public Health, with a focus on “empathetic leadership, social cohesion and civic trust”.

Her work will also examine new approaches to global and values-based leadership, and new ways to address global health challenges that centre equity, inclusion, and wellbeing.

“I’m delighted to be joining the University of Sydney. I’ve found myself especially focused on the question of leadership since leaving office – and how we can better support and encourage the  kind of leadership needed to tackle our many global challenges,” Ardern said.

“I’m looking forward to working alongside the brilliant students, faculty, and wider University of Sydney community, as we share experiences, explore and develop ways to better serve our communities, and help solve the issues facing so many today.” 

Her new role at the University of Sydney comes just weeks after she and her husband Clarke Gayford bought a $5.3 million home in Dee Why on Sydney’s Northern Beaches.

Ardern was initially elected as New Zealand’s prime minister aged just 37, and served in the role from 2017 to 2023.

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This was a tumultuous period for the country, including the Christchurch terror attacks, the White Island volcano eruption, and the COVID-19 pandemic.

While her poll numbers at home slid toward the end of her time in office, Ardern remained well-regarded globally and has emerged as a champion of civility and decency in political leadership.

She was made a Dame Grand Commander of the New Zealand Order of Merit in 2024.

University Vice Chancellor Professor Mark Scott praised Ardern’s “courage and humanity” in the public eye.

“Dame Jacinda led New Zealand through events of profound consequence and her leadership demonstrated that empathy and resolve do not compete with one another; each can strengthen the other,” he said.

“For our students, the opportunity to learn from Dame Jacinda is exceptional, they will meet not only a former Prime Minister, but a thoughtful teacher with a great deal to share about public leadership and service. 

“Her contribution will enrich our work in public health, public policy and across the University. We are proud Dame Jacinda has chosen to join the university, and I know our entire community will extend her the warmest of welcomes.”