Rate My Professor Peter Edwards

Professor Peter Edwards is Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, a role he assumed on 1 November 2025. He joined the University in October 1988 as a postdoctoral fellow in Computing Science and was appointed Lecturer in 1991. He holds a PhD in Computational Chemistry awarded by the University of Leeds in 1990. Edwards progressed through senior academic and leadership positions at the institution, including Head of Computing Science, Head of the College of Physical Sciences Graduate School, founding Director of the Northern Research Partnership Graduate School, Head of the School of Natural and Computing Sciences, Vice-Principal for Regional Engagement, and Acting Senior Vice-Principal. He is a Fellow of the British Computer Society, the Institution of Engineering and Technology, and the Royal Society for the Encouragement of Arts, Manufactures and Commerce, and holds Chartered IT Professional status.

Edwards’ research centres on the design of intelligent information infrastructures that promote transparency and accountability in computational systems, with a focus on models of provenance, trust, information quality, and their application in the web, Internet of Things, and autonomous systems. His work is interdisciplinary, spanning collaborations in medicine, law, geography, transport studies, food science, and design. He has served as Principal Investigator on major UK Research Council projects valued at over £20 million, including the ESRC PolicyGrid eSocial Science Research Node and the EPSRC dot.rural Digital Economy Research Hub. Edwards has published over 170 papers in international journals and peer-reviewed conferences. He chairs the University Senate, serves on the University Court and the Board of the University’s Development Trust, and holds external roles including membership of the Board of Opportunity North East, the Aberdeen City Deal Joint Committee, and the North East Scotland Investment Zone Steering Group.