Education
Alice Prochaska studied at Somerville College in the University of Oxford and received Bachelor and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Modern History.
Alice Prochaska studied at Somerville College in the University of Oxford and received Bachelor and Doctor of Philosophy degrees in Modern History.
Prochaska was initially a museum curator, and then an archivist at the Public Record Office, now The National Archives. From 1984 to 1992 she was administrator and deputy director at the Institute of Historical Research, University of London. From 1992 to 2001 she was Director of Special Collections at the British Library.
She then became head librarian at Yale University, United States of America, from 2001 to 2010.
She became Principal of Somerville College from 1 September 2010. Since then she has been affectionally known as "Ali P" by the student body.
Prochaska was involved with the design of the first National Curriculum for history in the United Kingdom during 1989-1990. She was a governor of London Guildhall University, now part of London Metropolitan University.
Prochaska is a Fellow of the Royal Historical Society and served as Vice-President from 1995 to 1999.
In the United States she chaired the Center for Research Libraries and several committees of the Association of Research Libraries, and lectured on subjects relating to archives and special collections. Prochaska currently lectures and publishes on topics related to national heritage and national identity.
She chaired the National Council on Archives and was a member of the Royal Commission on Historical Manuscripts.