From 1951 to 1954, Alexander Fleming held the post of Rector at the University of Edinburgh.
The rector is an elected university figure whose traditional role includes presiding over the University Court, Edinburgh’s governing body. At Edinburgh, the position is chosen through elections involving students and staff, and it has often been held by prominent public figures rather than by the university’s principal academic administrator.
Fleming was elected in 1951 after becoming internationally famous for his work on penicillin and sharing the 1945 Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine with Howard Florey and Ernst Chain. He was followed as rector in 1954 by Sir Sydney A. Smith.
The post should not be confused with principal, dean, or chancellor. The principal leads the university’s academic and administrative operations, while the chancellor is a separate ceremonial office. Fleming’s role was rector, a position connected especially with student representation and university governance.