Edinburgh University boss Peter Mathieson will step down after a decade marked by financial upheaval and bitter labour disputes.
The Principal and Vice-Chancellor told members of the University Court on Monday evening that, after his current term expires in early 2028, he will not seek a third.
This will mark ten years since he was first appointed in 2018 – after serving as vice-chancellor at the University of Hong Kong.
During his speech, he said: “It has been my immense privilege to lead two of the world’s great universities.
“Every decision that I have made, and those of the executive teams I have led, have always kept the University’s best interests uppermost.
“We have always acted in good faith, believing we were doing the right things, which are very rarely the easiest things.”
In his speech, he pointed to investment in teaching and student wellbeing, as well as ongoing success in research and innovation as principal achievements of his tenure, alongside securing the UK’s next national supercomputer and demonstrating an “unwavering commitment” to social mobility.
For many students and staff, however, Mathieson’s time in the university’s top job will be marked by upheaval and controversy.
In early 2025, he announced plans to cut more than £140m from the university’s budget, with hundreds of job losses and course closures resulting.
Waves of protests and strike action have followed since the announcement, with Peter Mathieson’s personal finances placed under the spotlight.
When quizzed by Conservative MSP Douglas Ross in June 2025 on how much he earns, the senior academic – who is paid more than £418,000 per year – claimed to be unaware of his exact salary.
He also faced criticism when it emerged he took a second job on the board of biotech firm Roslin Cell Therapies just months before announcing sweeping university cuts.
The university, however, said the criticism and protest crossed a line into “harassment and personally threatening behaviour” when Pro-Palestine and trade union activists surrounded him in the Black Medicine Coffee Company on Drummond Street.
“We unequivocally condemn this behaviour in the strongest terms and will investigate and respond to it in an appropriate and proportionate way,” a spokesperson added.
Before joining the University of Edinburgh, Mathieson was Vice-Chancellor and President of the University of Hong Kong, having previously served as Dean of the Faculty of Medicine and Dentistry at the University of Bristol.
Educated at a state school in Cornwall, he was the first in his family to attend university, where he trained as a doctor.
He received a knighthood in the 2023 New Year Honours for services to higher education.
For the past five years he has been the lead on international security for Universities UK and the Russell Group.
In his speech, Mathieson went on to discuss the funding challenges facing higher education.
He said: “I am keenly aware that higher education is at a pivotal moment. At Edinburgh, we are making the tough decisions necessary to restore our university to financial sustainability and resilience for the years ahead.
“There will be plenty of time for me to thank colleagues and reflect on my time here in due course. For now, I am fully focussed on our task at hand, giving it my full attention until the last day of my tenure in around 16 months’ time.”
Following the announcement yesterday, the university will set out plans for a recruitment campaign to appoint a successor.
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