{{Short description|British computer scientist and academic}} {{other people}} {{Use British English|date=September 2017}} {{Use dmy dates|date=September 2017}} {{Infobox officeholder | honorific_prefix = Sir | name = Timothy O'Shea | image = Agreement between Peking University and Edinburgh University (7084194833) (Timothy O'Shea cropped).jpg | caption = O'Shea signing an agreement between Peking University and Edinburgh University in 2012 | order = | title = Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Edinburgh | term_start = 2002 | term_end = 2018 | predecessor = The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood | successor1 = David Latchman (as Vice-Chancellor) | chancellor = Prince Philip, Duke of Edinburgh<br />Anne, Princess Royal | birth_date = {{birth date and age|1949|03|28|df=yes}} | birth_place = Hamburg, Germany | death_date = | alma_mater = {{Unbulleted list|University of Sussex|University of Leeds}} | office1 = Master of Birkbeck, University of London | successor = Peter Mathieson | predecessor1 = The Baroness Blackstone | term_start1 = 1 January 1998 | term_end1 = 31 December 2002 | chancellor1 = Anne, Princess Royal }} '''Sir Timothy Michael Martin O'Shea''' {{post-nominals|country=GBR|FRSE}} (born 28 March 1949,<ref>{{Citation | last = | first = | title = Birthdays | newspaper = The Guardian | pages = 43 | date = 28 March 2014 | url = }}</ref> Hamburg, Germany)<ref name="ed.ac.uk">{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.ac.uk/schools-departments/principals-office/biography|title=Principal and Vice-Chancellor|date=March 2024 }}</ref> is a British computer scientist and academic. He was the Master of Birkbeck, University of London from 1998 to 2002 and subsequently Vice-Chancellor and Principal of the University of Edinburgh from 2002 to 2018.
==Biography==
O'Shea grew up in London, attended the Royal Liberty School, in Romford, Essex. A computer scientist, he was Master of Birkbeck College from 1998 to 2002<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.bbk.ac.uk/about-us/past-officers |title=Principals and Masters |author=<!--Not stated--> |date= |website=Birkbeck University of London |publisher= |access-date=3 October 2019 |quote=}}</ref> and Pro-Vice-Chancellor of the University of London from 2001.<ref>{{Cite news|url=http://www.ed.ac.uk/about/people/officials/principal|title=The Principal|work=The University of Edinburgh|access-date=2017-07-14|language=en}}</ref>
A graduate of the Universities of Sussex and Leeds, he has worked in the United States and for the Open University where he founded the Computer Assisted Learning Research Group and worked on a range of educational technology research and development projects, later becoming Pro-Vice-Chancellor there. He was a Research Fellow at the University of Edinburgh, Department of Artificial Intelligence, from 1974 to 1978.<ref name="ed.ac.uk"/>
The most translated of his ten books is ''Learning and Teaching with Computers'', co-authored with John Self and his most recent 2007 book, ''In Order to Learn'', published by Oxford University Press, was co-edited with Frank Ritter, Josef Nerb and Erno Lehtinen.{{Citation needed|date=July 2017}}
O'Shea became Principal of the University of Edinburgh in October 2002. Since his appointment he has sat on various boards including the Boards of Scottish Enterprise, the Intermediary Technology Institute Scotland Ltd, the British Council, the Governing Body of the Roslin Institute and has been Convenor of the Research and Commercialisation Committee of Universities Scotland and Acting Convener of Universities Scotland.
In 2004 he was elected Fellow of The Royal Society of Edinburgh.
He was knighted in the 2008 New Year Honours.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/shared/bsp/hi/pdfs/29_12_07_hons_queen.pdf|title=2008 New Year Honours}}</ref>
O'Shea received an Honorary Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University in 2008 <ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www1.hw.ac.uk/annual-review/2008/people_awards.html|title=Annual Review 2008: Principal's Review|website=www1.hw.ac.uk|access-date=2016-03-29|url-status=dead|archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20160412040140/http://www1.hw.ac.uk/annual-review/2008/people_awards.html|archivedate=12 April 2016|df=dmy-all}}</ref>
On 21 June 2016, it was announced that O'Shea would step down from his position as Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the university in September 2017.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ed.ac.uk/news/2016/principal-to-stand-down-in-2017|title=Principal to stand down in 2017}}</ref> He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2017.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Timothy O'Shea |url=https://raeng.org.uk/about-us/fellowship/new-fellows-2017/timothy-o-shea |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=Royal Academy of Engineering |language=en}}</ref>
==Boards and Committees== Since January 2008, O’Shea has been Chair of Jisc (formerly the Joint Information Systems Committee).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.jisc.ac.uk/news/hefce-announces-new-chair-of-jisc-04-aug-2008|title=HEFCE announces new chair of Jisc}}</ref> He is also Chair of the Scottish Institute for Enterprise, was Chair of the board of directors of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe from 2012 to 2021,<ref>{{cite web |url=https://www.edfringe.com/news/world-s-largest-ever-arts-festival-comes-to-an-end-with-news-of-new-appointment |title=World's Largest Ever Arts Festival Comes to an End with News of New Appointment | Edinburgh Festival Fringe |accessdate=2013-06-12 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20121231003022/http://www.edfringe.com/news/world-s-largest-ever-arts-festival-comes-to-an-end-with-news-of-new-appointment |archivedate=31 December 2012 |df=dmy-all }}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.edfringe.com/learn/news-and-events/professor-sir-timothy-oshea-to-step-down-as-chair-of-the-edinburgh-festival-fringe-society-board|title=Professor Sir Timothy O'Shea to step down as Chair of the Edinburgh Festival Fringe Society Board}}</ref> and the Board of Newbattle Abbey College Trust. He sits on the Council of the Confucius Institute Headquarters,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.chinese.cn/conference11/node_37099.htm |title=Council |accessdate=2014-04-21 |url-status=dead |archiveurl=https://web.archive.org/web/20150602083521/http://www.chinese.cn/conference11/node_37099.htm |archivedate=2 June 2015 |df=dmy-all }}</ref> and is currently a member of the German Initiative for Excellence, or 'Excellenzinitiative'.<ref name="ed.ac.uk"/>
==References== <references />
{{S-start}} {{S-aca}} {{s-bef|before=The Lord Sutherland of Houndwood}} {{s-ttl|title=Principal of the University of Edinburgh|years=2002–2018}} {{s-aft|after=Peter Mathieson}} {{S-end}} {{Principals of the University of Edinburgh}} {{Edinburgh}} {{University of Edinburgh}}
{{Authority control}}
{{DEFAULTSORT:Oshea, Timothy}} Category:Principals of the University of Edinburgh Category:Academics of the University of Edinburgh Category:Alumni of the University of Sussex Category:Alumni of the University of Leeds Category:Edinburgh Festival Fringe staff Category:1949 births Category:Living people Category:Knights Bachelor Category:Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh Category:Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering Category:Jisc Category:Masters of Birkbeck, University of London Category:People educated at the Royal Liberty Grammar School Category:Scientists from Hamburg