Edinburgh Napier University

Edinburgh's modern University, named after the mathematician John Napier and built around the tower where he was born.

Key facts

Named after John Napier, the inventor of logarithms, who was born at Merchiston Tower in 1550
Opened as Napier Technical College at Merchiston in 1964 and became a University in 1992
Twice winner of the Queen's Anniversary Prize, in 2009 and 2015, for work on housing construction and timber engineering
Rated the top Scottish modern University for research power and impact in REF 2021

The University

University Spotlight: Edinburgh Napier University

We are delighted to feature Edinburgh Napier University as this week's University Spotlight.

A University named after a mathematician The University takes its name from John Napier, who invented logarithms. He was born in 1550 at Merchiston Tower, a fifteenth-century tower house in the south-west of Edinburgh. The tower was saved from demolition in 1958 and restored, and in 1964 Napier Technical College opened around it with 800 students. Its first courses ranged from engineering to boat building and coopering. The tower remains at the heart of the Merchiston campus.

From technical college to modern University The college became Napier Polytechnic in 1986, Napier University in 1992 and Edinburgh Napier University in 2009. It has three Edinburgh campuses: Merchiston, Craiglockhart and Sighthill. Craiglockhart was a hospital for officers in the First World War, where the poets Wilfred Owen and Siegfried Sassoon recuperated. The University now has more than 19,500 students from over 140 countries.

What Edinburgh Napier is known for The University has kept the applied, professional focus of its origins. Its research is strongest in environmental science, computer science, the built environment and social policy, with work ranging from mangrove and seagrass conservation and cybercrime technology to offsite construction and cardiovascular health.

Recognition Edinburgh Napier has twice won the Queen's Anniversary Prize: in 2009 for innovative housing construction, and in 2015 for timber engineering and sustainable construction. In the 2021 Research Excellence Framework, 68% of its research and 80% of its impact were rated world-leading or internationally excellent, results the University says make it the top Scottish modern University for research power and impact.

Honorary Graduates Edinburgh Napier's Honorary Graduates include J.K. Rowling, Sir Jackie Stewart, Dame Evelyn Glennie, Tilda Swinton, Alexander McCall Smith and Lorraine Kelly. Founding Fellow Dr Stephen Ingledew OBE received his Doctor of the University in 2024.

Leadership Principal and Vice-Chancellor Professor Sue Rigby leads the University. Will Whitehorn, former President of Virgin Galactic, served as Chancellor from 2021 to 2026.