Odin's Eye Blog

The University of the Highlands and Islands (UHI) has awarded Dr Andrew Jennings the title of Professor of Island Studies in recognition of his outstanding contributions to teaching, research, academic leadership, and regional impact.

The appointment reflects UHI’s distinctive approach to recognising academic excellence across a range of pathways, including research, learning and teaching, and academic leadership and management. Congratulations also to Su Bryan, Dean of the Faculty of Science, Health and the Environment, who was awarded the title of Professor of Tertiary Education Ecosystems.

Professor Brian Williams, Deputy Principal Academic and Research at UHI, said: “These appointments recognise two exceptional individuals whose work exemplifies the values and ambitions of UHI. Andrew Jennings has established an international reputation in island studies through deeply engaged, place-based scholarship rooted in Shetland and connected across the North Atlantic and beyond…..”

Based at UHI Shetland, Professor Andrew Jennings is an historian, linguist, folklorist and island studies scholar whose interdisciplinary work explores the heritage, culture and contemporary futures of island communities.

Originally from central Scotland, he completed his MA and PhD at the University of Edinburgh while also training as a professional classical singer at the Royal Conservatoire of Scotland. His varied career has included work as a BBC Radio Scotland travel broadcaster, an expert tour guide specialising in North Atlantic destinations, and the owner of an antiquarian bookshop before moving permanently to Shetland in 2007.

Since joining the Institute for Northern Studies in 2009, he has helped establish UHI as a globally recognised centre for island studies. He leads the UHI Island Studies Hub and has developed extensive international collaborations across the North Atlantic, including through the UArctic Thematic Network for Northern and Arctic Island Studies Research.

He enjoys everything about life in the archipelago, including walking the dog and experiencing the wild Shetland weather. His daughter has married a Shetlander, and he now has two feisty Shetland grandsons.

Professor Jennings said: “I’m deeply honoured to receive this title from UHI, an institution whose values and mission I strongly believe in. My work has always been shaped by the idea that world-leading scholarship can thrive within the communities it serves. Living and working in Shetland has inspired both my teaching and research, and this recognition reflects not only my own work but the support and collaboration of colleagues, students and communities across the islands and beyond. I’m excited to continue developing UHI’s global reputation in island studies and to help build new international partnerships and opportunities from our base in Shetland.”

Professor Andrew Jennings will deliver his inaugural professorial lecture in autumn 2026, in Shetland.

Further details will be announced in due course.