Katherine Grainger won a silver medal in women’s double sculls rowing at the Olympic Games in Rio on August 11. This was her fifth Olympic medal making her the most decorated woman Olympic athlete in British history. She has won medals in five consecutive Olympics including a gold medal at the 2012 games in London. Grainger has also won eight medals in World Championship competition.
The 40-year-old athlete is also the Chancellor of Oxford Brookes University in England. She was appointed to this post in 2015. Oxford Brookes University was founded in 1865 as the Oxford School of Art.
The position of chancellor at British universities is largely ceremonial with the vice chancellor serving as the equivalent of a university president in the United States. But Dr. Grainger is an accomplished scholar. A native of Glasgow, Scotland, Dr. Grainger earned a bachelor’s degree from the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. She holds a master’s degree in medical law and medical ethics from the University of Glasgow and a Ph.D. in the sentencing of homicide cases from King’s College, London.