Sir Peter Mathieson

Sir Peter Mathieson, MB BS (Hons), PhD, FRCP, FRCPE, FMedSci, FRSE, FRSA, is the Principal of the University of Edinburgh since 2018 and an Honorary Professor of Medicine at the Universities of Edinburgh, Hong Kong, and Bristol. Previously, he was the President of the University of Hong Kong (2014-18), Dean of the Faculty of Medicine & Dentistry at the University of Bristol (2008-14) and held senior academic roles at the University of Bristol and Christ’s College, Cambridge. He was knighted in 2023 for his service to higher education.

Sir Peter has over 20 years of leadership experience in universities, including Deputy Head and Head of Clinical Medicine at North Bristol. As CEO of the University of Edinburgh, he manages a £1.3 billion turnover, 15,500 staff, and 45,000 students. He is a board member of the Russell Group, Universities Scotland, LERU, Universitas 21, and UNA-Europa, and the lead member for Health for Universities Scotland since 2018.

In the NHS, Sir Peter was a Professor of Renal Medicine and honorary consultant nephrologist, focusing on autoimmune diseases and renal transplantation. He served as Director of R&D at North Bristol NHS Trust and Director of Bristol Health Partners. He has held non-executive roles with the Renal Association, CASE, the Scottish Funding Council, and the Newbattle Abbey College Trust, and leads on security issues in higher education.

Known for his consultative yet authoritative chairing style, Sir Peter has chaired roles for the Royal College of Physicians, the Academy of Medical Sciences, CASE, the Industrial Strategy Council, and the Wellcome Trust. He has over 300 publications, supervised 16 postgraduate research degrees, and examined 41 theses, with notable achievements in leading major universities and contributing to medical education and clinical research in Africa.