Andrew Atherton

After the retirement of Professor Sir Pete Downes from his principality at the University of Dundee, Atherton was announced as his successor in 2018. His tenure officially began on 1 January 2019. During his period as Principal, the University rose to 4th in the UK for student satisfaction, its best ever result, and to its highest league table position of 24th in the Sunday Times University Guide and 3rd in Scotland. The University was named Student Experience University of the Year by the Sunday Times as a result of its rise in student satisfaction.

On 30 and 31 October 2019, several Scottish newspapers reported that Atherton had been suspended from office, pending an independent investigation into allegations that he had failed to pay rent in full on the Principal's official residence—University House. In a statement to the BBC, a university spokesperson said: "As is our policy in any disciplinary case, it would not be appropriate for the university to comment further while the process is ongoing." Later, some sources reported that allegations of bullying had been made against Atherton, although it was unclear whether or not this was related to the ongoing investigation or suspension and these claims were not substantiated. On 8 November 2019, it was announced that Atherton had resigned. The University statement was as follows "In the short time that Professor Atherton has been with the University he has shown a commitment to excellence. His broad experience has brought fresh ideas, a focus on sustainability and a drive to further enhance the University's national and global standing. However, it has become apparent that the University’s vision for its future and the values it holds are different to the aspirations of Professor Atherton. He has therefore decided to step down so that the University can continue to pursue its current strategy." The financial statements 2019 for the University state that an outstanding balance of one month's rent was settled on August 1st 2019.

Atherton has published extensively on enterprise and small and medium enterprise development. On small and medium-size enterprises in China, Atherton had a book published (Entrepreneurship in China) with co-author Alex Newman in 2017.

From Lincoln, he moved on to Lancaster in 2013 as Deputy Vice-Chancellor and Professor of Entrepreneurship. As Deputy Vice-Chancellor at the University of Lancaster, he was responsible for the development of the University, leading on resource planning and the annual planning cycle. He also led on creation of the Health Innovation Campus, a science park adjacent to the University, and was part of a team that attracted the Eden Project to Morecambe to create Eden North At Lancaster, Atherton also led on creation of a new campus in China, as a Joint Institute with Beijing Telecommunications University and creation of Lancaster University Leipzig, a campus based in Germany, which recruited its first students in 2019.

Atherton began his academic career at Durham University, in the Small Business Centre, Durham University Business School. He was Director of the Policy Research Unit within the Small Business Centre from 1995 to 1999, establishing the Centre as an international policy research unit. In 1999, he became Head of Department of the department the Foundation for SME Development at the Durham University, which at that time was one of the world's leading centres for small and medium enterprise development and enterprise. He then moved to the University of Lincoln in 2002, where he worked for 10 years, initially as Director of Research in the Business School and then as Acting Dean of the School. He was appointed Pro Vice-Chancellor Strategy and Enterprise in 2006 and in 2010 became Senior Deputy Vice-Chancellor. In this role he worked toward the establishment of the School of Engineering, the first new engineering school in the UK for over 20 years, as well as contributing to the emergence of the University as one of the leading modern universities in the UK.

Atherton read Chinese and Economics at the School of Oriental and African Studies, University of London, graduating in 1989. This was followed, in 1992, by a Master's degree in International and Development Economics at Yale University in the United States. As a result of his studies of China, he is fluent in Mandarin. Andrew completed a PhD by publication in 2012 on the effectiveness of government enterprise policy at the University of Lincoln.

Andrew Atherton (born 27 June 1966) was the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Dundee from January to November, 2019. Prior to this role, he held academic and directorial positions at the universities of Durham, Lincoln, and Lancaster. His areas of academic interest are business and entrepreneurship, particularly related to small and medium-sized enterprises and China.