Swansea University has announced the appointment of Professor Paul Boyle as its new Vice-Chancellor.
Professor Paul Boyle is currently President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, having been appointed in September 2014. Previously, Paul was Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK’s largest funding agency for social science research; the International Champion of Research Councils UK, with responsibility for international strategy on behalf of all seven UK research councils; and President of Science Europe, representing over 50 European funding agencies. He is a Fellow of the British Academy, The Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academy of Social Sciences, and the Royal Geographical Society of Scotland.
Before joining the ESRC, he was Head of the School of Geography and Geosciences at the University of St Andrews, publishing widely in Demography and Epidemiology. He was Director of the ESRC Longitudinal Studies Centre – Scotland, Co-Director of the ESRC Centre for Population Change, and Co-Investigator on the Wellcome Trust Scottish Health Informatics Programme. Scottish Health Informatics Programme. He was Founding Director of the Social Dimensions of Health Institute, a joint collaboration between the Universities of Dundee and St Andrews.
Sir Roger Jones, Chair of Council, said:
“It is excellent news that Professor Boyle has agreed to become Vice-Chancellor following the planned retirement of Professor Richard B. Davies at the end of the current academic year. He brings a wealth of experience at the highest level, with his achievements in Leicester including increased research funding and citations, investment in student experience and championing equality and diversity. He is also a former Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC) and a board member of Universities UK. I am confident that under his leadership, Swansea University will build on its current strong position and achieve even greater things in the future.”
Professor Paul Boyle said:
“I am enormously excited to be joining Swansea University at such an exciting time as it approaches its centenary in 2020. It has been a pleasure and privilege to serve as Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Leicester, but I feel the time is now right for me to take up a new challenge. So much has been achieved at Swansea in recent years, including the campus, growth in student numbers, and a rise in some important rankings. I look forward to working with staff and students to build on this success. More personally, it is wonderful to be returning to the University where I began my academic career and, having grown up on the east coast, I am looking forward to being back by the sea!”
Professor Boyle is Chair of the Scottish Science Advisory Council, which is Scotland’s highest level science advisory body; a Board Member of Universities UK, who provide leadership and support to executive heads of 133 UK University institutions as well as Chair of their Research Policy Network; and a Council Member and Trustee of the Association of Commonwealth Universities, which has over 500 member institutions in 37 Commonwealth countries. In April 2017 Professor Boyle was elected as a Board member of the European Universities Association and has subsequently become Vice-President.
Paul is an ‘impact champion’ for the United Nations HeForShe global solidarity movement for gender equality and the Advisory Board of Sporting Equals, promoting ethnic diversity in sport and physical activity.