George Boyne

George Boyne is a British academic and public sector scholar who has been Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen since August 2018. He was previously Pro-Vice Chancellor of Cardiff University and Dean of Cardiff Business School.

Early life and education
Originally from Aberdeen, Boyne attended King Street Primary School and Aberdeen Grammar School, and is a double graduate of the University of Aberdeen where he took a politics and economics degree. He later completed a PhD at the University of Bath with a thesis titled "The politics of local policy variation".

Career
Prior to joining the University of Aberdeen, Boyne was Pro Vice-Chancellor of the College of Arts, Humanities and Social Sciences and a professor of public sector management at Cardiff University. Boyne has published on the performance of public sector organisations, and has been a Fellow of the Academy of Social Sciences since 2010. He has authorial credit on eight books and over 140 articles in academic journals.

University of Aberdeen
In August 2018, Boyne joined Aberdeen as Principal and led the creation of the University’s Aberdeen 2040 strategy which was launched in February 2020 to mark the 525th anniversary of the University’s foundation. He is also Chair of the University Senate, a member of the University Court and a member of the Board of the University’s Development Trust. His external roles include Chair of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA), member of the Board of UCEA UK, member of the Board of Opportunity North East, and member of the Aberdeen City Deal Joint Committee.

Boyne faced criticism in July 2023, when an investigation by student newspaper The Gaudie uncovered WhatsApp messages in which Boyne told colleagues he wanted staff participating in the marking and assessment boycott to feel 'pain along the way.' Boyne's comments were subject to controversy among members of the University and College Union on social media, and received national coverage. A poll conducted by The Gaudie several days later found that nearly 70% of students and staff believed Boyne should step down.