Yale News

Niko Pfund, global academic publisher and U.S. president of Oxford University Press, will replace John Donatich as the director of Yale University Press.

The Yale University Press aims to promote global scholarship in human affairs through the publishing of books in a variety of academic disciplines. With offices in New Haven and London, the Press annually publishes over 400 books in subjects across science, economics, history, literature and more.

University President Maurie McInnis announced the decision on Monday, praising Pfund for his “immersive understanding” of scholarly publishing and serious nonfiction and his extensive experience in the academic press.

“The question for any quality publisher such as Yale is how best to balance the demands of growth, sustainability, and transformation with the desire to publish as many important and beautiful works as well and in as many formats as possible,” Pfund wrote to the News. “I look forward to working with my new colleagues to strategize on how we might best do so in future.”

In a message to the Yale community, McInnis wrote that the search advisory committee focused on choosing a candidate who would support the University’s mission of elevating long-form scholarship in the public consciousness. She commended Pfund for his past commitment to contributing to a global understanding of human affairs.

Pfund believes the two primary purposes of a university press are to facilitate scholarly conversation within the academy and to serve as a “signal booster” for academic voices.

“My entire publishing career has revolved around these two roles, and Yale University Press does a splendid job with each,” he told the News. 

In an announcement to the Yale community, Susan Gibbons, Yale’s vice provost for collections and scholarly communication, said Pfund’s “earned reputation and deep experience as a publisher will be an incredible asset” to the university and “all of us who appreciate the work it does to illuminate our world.

When asked what excited Pfund most about his role, he responded, “The sheer range of the Press’s list.  It’s such an impressive cornucopia of history, politics, art, religious studies, finance, architecture, classics, economics, etc., etc., just an absolute feast.”

Pfund noted that one of the greatest challenges that the press will face is AI, and that understanding when to sell content through traditional versus emerging channels is a “key” part of serving as a scholarly publisher.

Ultimately, the goal within any “information economy,” he said, is to ensure that the publications reach the widest possible audience.

“It can be exhausting to run faster and faster in place just to keep your head above water when structural forces are transforming the landscape,” he said. “There are no ‘eureka!’ panacea solutions; rather there is the hard but rewarding work of assessing strategic priorities and strengths and acting on them.”

The Yale University Press was founded in 1908.