Edinburgh Napier University (ENU) has appointed Professor Gary Hutchison as Vice Principal Regional Innovation & External Affairs.
Professor Hutchison has been the University’s Assistant Principal since May 2025 and will take on his new role in the coming weeks. He was previously ENU’s Dean of the School of Applied Sciences from 2015.
His appointment follows that of Professor Peter Barlow as Dean of Research & Innovation as part of restructuring of the University’s senior leadership team.
In his new role, Professor Hutchison will be leading Edinburgh Napier’s role in the developing the regional agenda in terms of policy, skills and innovation.
Gary’s association with Edinburgh Napier goes back to his PhD, which examined the toxicology of inhaled particles. In addition to leading the School of Applied Sciences for a decade, he is also the lead for the Borderlands Region and City Deal Mountain Bike Innovation Centre project and Chair of the University Environmental Sustainability Strategy Group.
He has been an independent scientific advisor to the UK Government for more than 13 years and currently holds membership of the Food Standards Agency (FSA) Committee on Toxicity of Chemicals in Food, Consumer Products and the Environment, as well as Defra’s College of Scientific Experts, and is a member of the FSA and Office for Product Safety & Standards registers of specialists.
Gary’s external influence extends across the higher education sector as chair of the Scottish Institute for Policing Research Board of Governance and previously the Edinburgh Exchange Initiative. He is also a trustee and member of the Marine Alliance for Science and Technology for Scotland Governing Council.
As of 2026 Gary has agreed to chair the governance board for the newly formed NHS National Services Scotland/Edinburgh Napier University Scottish Healthcare Built Environment Network.
Responding to the appointment, Professor Gary Hutchison said: "I’m really delighted to take on this role, which demonstrates the University’s intent to act as a positive force for people and organisations in our local communities.
“I am looking forward to working with the incredible talent that we have across the University, building on work which already demonstrates the value Edinburgh Napier University brings in terms of innovation in education and research.”