Kristjan Vassil to become Vice-Chancellor at Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research

Kristjan Vassil will start work on 2 November as Vice-Chancellor of Estonia's Ministry of Education and Research, responsible for research, development, and higher education and adult education policy. He has previously worked at the University of Tartu. A vice-chancellor is a senior ministry official in charge of a particular policy area.

According to Vassil, the post brings together areas he has worked on for most of his professional career.

Emphasis on data and artificial intelligence

Vassil said decision-making should make more use of data, analytical tools and artificial intelligence. This would make it possible to assess the likely consequences of different decisions in advance and, once they are implemented, to track the actual results.

He also said Estonia's capabilities as a digital state open up unique prospects for this. At the same time, he argued, the approach to governance should change: less control and more trust in partners. In his view, partners should be given greater freedom in making decisions, together with responsibility for the outcome.

Earlier career

From 2017 to 2023, Vassil was Vice-Rector for Research at the University of Tartu. Since 2024 he has been a professor of applied technology research at the same university. He also chairs the supervisory board of the University of Tartu Hospital.

Previously, Vassil sat on the health board of the European Institute of Innovation and Technology and was a visiting researcher at Harvard University. He earned his doctorate in social sciences at the European University Institute in Florence.