Sir Anton Muscatelli will retire as Glasgow University principal next year

He will not seek a further term, following an association with the university of more than 40 years, as a student, lecturer, professor and leader.

The outgoing boss will continue in the role until a successor is in place, with a handover pencilled-in for September 2025.

Sir Anton said: “When I was re-appointed to a third term as principal, I did make it clear to the university that I would not be seeking a fourth term.

"By the time I formally retire in 2025, I will have served 16 years as principal and over 20 years in university senior management.

“The University of Glasgow is in a very strong position and has built an excellent reputation as a proud civic and international institution, with a talented community and world-class research and innovation.

"It’s an exciting time for a new principal to come forward and lead our institution through the next chapter at an important time for the sector.”He added: "I feel this is the right time to step back from my current role, to enjoy retirement and continue to be a loyal supporter of our institution, albeit from a new and different perspective.”

Sir Anton announced his decision on Monday in a letter to staff and students.

He said the university had one of the “strongest financial positions in the UK sector”, and had “consistently retained our status as a global top-100 university”, and was seen as a “top-20 University globally in terms of sustainability and impact”.

The principal wrote: “This has been despite considerable headwinds, like Brexit, economic instability and the global pandemic (and latterly an adverse public funding environment that the pandemic created).”

The announcement comes just days after it emerged Karen Watt would be retiring as chief executive of the Scottish Funding Council, which oversees the high education sector.

The changes at the top have also emerged amid growing pressure on universities as funding from the Scottish Government is squeezed, and the number of fee-paying international students declines as a result of UK immigration changes.