Julie Bishop will be the Australian National University's next chancellor, the first woman to hold the position in its 73-year history.

Chancellor Gareth Evans, former Labor foreign minister, will step down at the end of the year following a decade in the role.

The new role is the latest for Ms Bishop in her post-political life. Credit:Alex Ellinghausen

"It is a great honour to take up the role of chancellor of ANU," Ms Bishop said.

"Without doubt, ANU is world class in terms of education and research and it is our nation's leading university."