The Conversation UK is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Paul Boyle, Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University, as the new Chair of its Board of Trustees.
Professor Boyle succeeds Professor Sir Nishan Canagarajah, Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, who stepped down in December 2025.
Professor Boyle has been Vice-Chancellor of Swansea University since 2019. Prior to this, he was President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Leicester, and formerly Chief Executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC), the UK’s largest funding agency for social science research. He has recently completed a nine-year term as Vice-President of the European University Association, which represents over 800 universities in 48 countries, and eight years as a UUK Board Member. He has previously served as International Champion of Research Councils UK, with responsibility for international strategy across all seven UK research councils, and as President of Science Europe, representing over 50 European funding agencies.
