About Us

Ken Henderson

Office of the Chancellor
Chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning

Email Chancellor Henderson
Phone: 617.373.4798

Ken Henderson, appointed Northeastern University’s first chancellor and Senior Vice President for Learning in 2019, leads Northeastern’s broad portfolio of learning functions. He oversees innovation in experiential learning, embracing digital and lifelong learning; learner mobility across both the global university system and internationally; student life including housing, wellness and student organizations; enrollment management, incorporating admissions, marketing, and financial aid; strategic partnerships; Division 1 athletics and university recreation; The Roux Institute at Northeastern University; as well as jointly leading, with the Provost, the Office of Diversity Equity and Inclusion.

Henderson joined Northeastern University in 2016 as Dean of the College of Science, comprised of six disciplinary departments with nearly 350 faculty and staff and enrollment of more than 4500 students. As Dean, Ken established a focused five-year strategic vision and plan which aligned the college with Northeastern 2025, the University’s academic plan, and cemented the college’s environment of scholarly and educational excellence.

Henderson previously served as the chair of the Department of Chemistry and Biochemistry at the University of Notre Dame. During his 14 year tenure at Notre Dame, he was also the senior assistant provost for internationalization, developing strategic international partnerships for research and learning collaborations.

A scholar of synthetic and structural inorganic chemistry, Henderson’s research interests lie in organometallic and materials chemistry, with a particular focus on energy-related systems. Chancellor Henderson has published over 100 peer-reviewed research articles and was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry in 2007.

Henderson received a first class Honors B.Sc. in Chemistry from the University of Strathclyde in Glasgow, Scotland, as well as his PhD, for which he was awarded the Ritchie Prize for the best PhD thesis. He conducted Post-Doctorate research at Brown University.