The head of a new UK engineering university has quit after less than a year in the job.

Janusz Kozinski, who started as chief executive of Hereford¡¯s New Model in Technology & Engineering (NMITE) in July last year, has left the post and returned to Canada, the institution has confirmed.

His unexpected departure from the new institution, which will be the UK¡¯s first ¡°greenfield¡± university in 40 years when it opens in 2020, is believed to be for personal reasons.

Professor Kozinski, a Polish-born Canadian who is a former founding dean of the Lassonde School of Engineering at Toronto¡¯s York University, had vowed to institute a radical new curriculum, stating that he wanted the Hereford university¡¯s motto to be ¡°no lectures, no exams, no textbooks¡±.

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He has been replaced by Elena Rodriguez-Falcon, who has become acting chief executive, although ³ÉÈËVRÊÓƵ understands?that the institution intends to make the appointment of the former University of Sheffield professor a permanent one.

Dame Fiona Kendrick, chair of NMITE¡¯s board of trustees, praised Professor Kozinski¡¯s ¡°important contributions to establishing NMITE¡±, saying that the ¡°project has moved forward steadily¡± since he arrived in July.

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¡°NMITE now has strong foundations: up to ?23 million of government support is in place, ?2.5 million [in] donations have been secured so far and an excellent senior leadership team is in post,¡± said Dame Fiona, adding that it will ¡°continue to shine brightly as a beacon for this wholly novel approach to engineering higher education¡±.

Professor Rodriguez-Falcon said that she was ¡°delighted and honoured to be given the chance to lead the most exciting and groundbreaking development in engineering higher education anywhere in the world¡±.

¡°We are looking forward to making significant further announcements over the next three months about the appointment of our first faculty members, the recruitment of a design cohort of students, our first major curriculum partners, and our first buildings,¡± she said.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com