Sir Geoff Palmer, a trailblazing scientist, human rights advocate, and Scotland’s first Black professor, has died at the age of 85.
Sir Geoff was a long-standing figure at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, where he served as professor emeritus and, more recently, as chancellor. He was widely respected both for his scientific contributions and for his tireless advocacy for racial equality and historical justice.
Geoff Palmer’s background
Born in Jamaica in 1940, Sir Geoff moved to London at the age of 14 as part of the Windrush generation. He relocated to Edinburgh in the 1960s, where he completed a PhD in grain science and technology. His research led to innovations later adopted by major UK breweries.
In 1989, he broke new ground by becoming Scotland’s first Black professor, teaching at Heriot-Watt until 2005. He was knighted in 2014 for services to science, charity, and human rights and was appointed to the prestigious Order of the Thistle in 2023.
Sir Geoff also played a leading role in confronting Scotland’s legacy of slavery. Following the Black Lives Matter movement, he chaired an Edinburgh City Council review into the city’s links to colonialism and slavery, producing key recommendations including the installation of new public artworks and educational reinterpretations of historic buildings.
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Despite his efforts to shine a light on Scotland’s past, Sir Geoff rejected calls for removing statues or renaming buildings, arguing instead that history should be preserved and contextualised: “If you remove the evidence, you remove the deed,” he said.
Richard A. Williams, principal of Heriot-Watt University, described Sir Geoff as an inspiration whose passion for education touched the lives of students and colleagues around the world.
Labour MSP Foysol Choudhury called him “a courageous voice for justice and equality,” adding: “He was not only a distinguished scientist and academic but also a tireless campaigner. My sincere condolences to his family and all who knew and admired him.”
Sir Geoff is survived by his wife Margaret, their three children, and grandchildren.
