Regius Professor of Engineering (Edinburgh)
| Regius Chair of Engineering University of Edinburgh |
|
|---|---|
 Jason Reese since 2013 |
|
| Formation | 1868 |
| Founder | Queen Victoria |
| First holder | Fleeming Jenkin |
| Website | www.eng.ed.ac.uk |
The Regius Chair of Engineering is a royal professorship in engineering, established since 1868 in the University of Edinburgh, Scotland. The Chair is attached to the university's College of Science & Engineering, based in the King's Buildings in Edinburgh. Appointment to the Regius Chair is by Royal Warrant from the British monarch, on the recommendation of Scotland's First Minister.
Regius professorships are a unique feature of academia in the British Isles. The first Regius professorship was in the field of medicine, and founded by the Scottish King James IV at Aberdeen University in 1497. Regius Chairs have since been instituted in a variety of academic disciplines in various universities. Each was established by a British monarch, and — except in Ireland — the current monarch still officially appoints the professor (following proper advertisement and interview, through the offices of the university and the national government). 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'.
George Wilson was appointed to a new Regius Chair of Technology in the University of Edinburgh in 1855. His interest in acquiring artefacts and relics of the industrial revolution led to his simultaneous appointment as the first Director of the Industrial Museum of Scotland (now part of the National Museum of Scotland).
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