The University of Aberdeen is pleased to announce that professor Peter Edwards has been appointed as the next principal, effective 1 November 2025.
Professor Edwards is a highly respected academic leader who has been spearheading our innovation and entrepreneurial ambitions and driving forward our civic engagement and is the University’s Acting Senior Vice-Principal and Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement.
He will succeed Professor George Boyne, who has served as Principal since 2018 and will retire on 31 October 2025. The University extends its sincere thanks to Professor Boyne for his exceptional leadership over the past seven years.
Professor Peter Edwards
Under Professor Boyne’s guidance, the University launched its long-term strategic vision, Aberdeen 2040, which was recognised as University Strategy of the Year by the Higher Education Strategic Planners Association (HESPA) in 2021. He has steered the institution through significant global challenges, including Brexit, the Covid-19 pandemic, and the evolving higher education funding landscape.
Professor Boyne has also been a passionate advocate for widening access and community engagement. In a final gesture of generosity, he has requested that his salary for the last two months of his tenure be donated to several local and University-linked charities, including the University Development Trust’s Widening Access Fund, the Denis Law Legacy Trust, CFINE, Befriend a Child, and Abernecessities.
The University of Aberdeen look forward to working with Professor Edwards as he leads the University into its next chapter of growth and excellence.