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A Regius Professor is a university professor who has, or originally had, royal patronage or appointment. They are a unique feature of academia in the United Kingdom and Ireland. The first Regius Professorship was in the field of medicine, and founded by the Scottish King James IV at the University of Aberdeen in 1497. Regius chairs have since been instituted in various universities, in disciplines judged to be fundamental and for which there is a continuing and significant need. Each was established by an English, Scottish, or British monarch, and following proper advertisement and interview through the offices of the university and the national government, the current monarch still appoints the professor (except for those at Trinity College Dublin in Ireland, which left the United Kingdom in 1922). This royal imprimatur, and the relative rarity of these professorships, means a Regius chair is prestigious and highly sought-after.
Regius Professors are traditionally addressed as "Regius" and not "Professor".[1] The University of Glasgow currently has the highest number of extant Regius chairs, at fourteen.[2]
Traditionally, Regius Chairs only existed in the seven ancient universities of the UK and Ireland.[3] In October 2012 it was announced that Queen Elizabeth II would create up to six new Regius Professorships, to be announced in early 2013, to mark her Diamond Jubilee.[4] In January 2013 the full list was announced, comprising twelve new chairs, probably the largest number ever created in one year, and more than created in most centuries.[5][6] In July 2015 it was announced that further Regius Professorships would be created to mark the Queen's 90th birthday.[7]
University of Aberdeen
edit- Regius Professor of Anatomy (1863)
- Regius Professor of Botany
- Regius Professor of English Literature
- Regius Professor of Greek
- Regius Professor of Humanity, formerly Regius Professor of Classics
- Regius Professor of Logic
- Regius Professor of Mathematics (1703)
- Regius Professor of Medicine, formerly Regius Professor of Materia Medica (1858)[8]: 159
- Regius Professor of Moral Philosophy
- Regius Professor of Natural History
- Regius Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology, formerly Regius Professor of Midwifery (1858)[8]: 159
- Regius Professor of Pathology
- Regius Professor of Physiology (1858)[8]: 159
- Regius Professor of Surgery (1839)[9]: 189
Aston University
editCardiff University
edit- Regius Professor of Chemistry (2016)[11]
University of Cambridge
edit- Regius Professor of Botany (1724/2009)
- Regius Professor of Civil Law (1540)
- Regius Professor of Divinity (1540)
- Regius Professor of Engineering (2011)
- Regius Professor of Greek (1540)
- Regius Professor of Hebrew (1540)
- Regius Professor of History (1724)
- Regius Professor of Physic (1540)
Trinity College Dublin
edit- Regius Professor of Divinity (1600/1761)
- Regius Professor of Physic (1637?)
- Regius Professor of Hebrew (1637/1762/1855)
- Regius Professor of Laws (1668)
- Regius Professor of Feudal and English Law (1761–1934)
- Regius Professor of Greek (1761)
- Regius Professor of Surgery (1852/1868)
University of Dundee
editUniversity of Edinburgh
edit- Regius Professor of Public Law and the Law of Nature and Nations (1707)
- Regius Professor of Rhetoric and English Literature (1762)
- Regius Professor of Astronomy (1785)
- Regius Professor of Clinical Surgery (1803)
- Regius Professor of Medical Science[12]
- Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine (1807)
- Regius Professor of Sanskrit (1862) (now the Regius Professor of South Asian Language, Culture and Society)
- Regius Professor of Engineering (1868)
- Regius Professor of Geology (1871)
- Regius Chair of Plant Science[13]
University of Essex
editUniversity of Glasgow
edit- Regius Professor of Medicine and Therapeutics (1637/1713)
- Regius Professor of Materia Medica (1831–1989) (merged with the Regius chair in Medicine and Therapeutics)
- Regius Professor of Law (1713)
- Regius Professor of Anatomy (1718)
- Regius Professor of Astronomy (1760)
- Regius Professor of Zoology (1807)
- Regius Professor of Obstetrics and Gynaecology (1815)
- Regius Professor of Surgery (1815)
- Regius Professor of Chemistry (1817)
- Regius Professor of Botany (1818)
- Regius Professor of Forensic Medicine (1839)
- Regius Professor of Physiology (1839)
- Regius Professor of Civil Engineering and Mechanics (1840)
- Regius Professor of English Language and Literature (1861)
- Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History (1716–1935) (ceased being a Regius chair in 1935)
- Regius Professor of Precision Medicine (2016)[11]
- Regius Professor of Law 2012
Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine
editUniversity of Liverpool
editUniversity of London
edit- Regius Professor of Cancer Research (2016)[11] (Based at The Institute of Cancer Research)
- Regius Professor of Psychiatry (2013) (Based at King's College London)
- Regius Professor of Economics (2013) (Based at LSE)
- Regius Professor of Music (2013) (Based at Royal Holloway)
University of Manchester
edit- Regius Professor of Physics (2013)
- Regius Professor of Materials (2016)[11]
Newcastle University
editOpen University
editUniversity of Oxford
edit- Regius Professor of Civil Law (c.1540)
- Regius Professor of Divinity (1535)
- Regius Professor of Moral and Pastoral Theology (1842)
- Regius Professor of Ecclesiastical History (1842)
- Regius Professor of Hebrew (1546)
- Regius Professor of Medicine (1546)
- Regius Professor of Greek (c.1541)
- Regius Professor of History (1724)
- Regius Professor of Mathematics (2016)[11]
Queen's University Belfast
editUniversity of Reading
editUniversity of St Andrews
editUniversity of Southampton
editUniversity of Surrey
editUniversity of Warwick
editReferences
edit- ^ "Cushing, Harvey (1940). The Life of Sir William Osler (volume 1, chapter 23). Oxford: Oxford University Press". Retrieved 5 September 2015.
- ^ "Regius Professor of Law Appointed to the University of Glasgow". University of Glasgow. 1 October 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Evans, Richard J. (7 February 2013). "On her Majesty's scholarly service". Times Higher Education. Retrieved 2 November 2023.
- ^ "Queen to bestow new Regius Professorships on outstanding Universities" (Press release). Cabinet Office. 12 October 2012. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "New Regius Professorships announced for 12 universities". Times Higher Education Supplement. 29 January 2013. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ "Cabinet Office: The Queen awards prestigious Regius professorships to twelve universities" (Press release). PoliticsHome. 29 January 2013. Archived from the original on 22 March 2014. Retrieved 3 April 2013.
- ^ Garner, Richard (8 July 2015). "Budget 2015: Universities will be allowed to raise fees beyond £9,000, says George Osborne". The Independent. Retrieved 5 August 2015.
- ^ a b c Comrie, John D (1927). "Chapter 9: The Medical School of Aberdeen". History of Scottish Medicine to 1860 (PDF). London: Wellcome Historical Medical Museum.
- ^ Bulloch, John (1895). A History of the University of Aberdeen 1495-1895. London: Hodder and Stoughton.
- ^ "Aston University appoints UK's only Regius Professor of Pharmacy". Aston University. Aston University. Retrieved 16 March 2024.
- ^ a b c d e f g h i j k "Regius Professorships awarded to leading universities to mark Queen's 90th birthday - Press releases - GOV.UK". www.gov.uk. Retrieved 2016-06-06.
- ^ "Prof J Iredale". University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 26 November 2014.
- ^ "Patronage of Chairs in Science and Engineering" (PDF). University of Edinburgh. Retrieved 10 April 2021.
- ^ "Imperial names first Regius Professor". Felix. 24 Oct 2013. Retrieved 19 December 2019.