Professor Paul Boyle was appointed Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University in 2019. Prior to this, he was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester. 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.

Paul is a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales, the British Academy and the Academy of Social Sciences.  He is Chair of Universities Wales’ Research and Innovation Network; 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; Vice-President and Council Member of the European University Association which represents over 800 universities in 48 countries; and Chair of Jisc, a not-for-profit organisation providing digital services and solutions to the UK’s higher and further education sector. Paul has recently joined the Coalition for Advancing Research Assessment (CoARA) as a Steering Board member, a group dedicated to the systemic reform of research assessment and the improvement of research assessment practice.