regius professor:
(plural: ‘regius professors‘; pronunciation: the letter ‘g’ in “regius” rhymes with the letter ‘j’ in ‘judge’ — for the right pronunciation of this word, please click here)
Sir John William McNee (1887–1984), Regius Professor of Medicine at the University of Glasgow (1936–1953)
a title given to a professor at certain old British universities, such as Cambridge University, Oxford University, Glasgow University, etc.;
a holder of a British professorship (highest rank professor) created by a royal patron (king, queen, etc.);
a person appointed by the Crown (the Queen) to a university chair (a high position),
present day Regius Professor Julian Johnson, Department of Music, London University
When the Queen announced regius professorship to her, Regius Professor Eileen Scanlon, along with the entire Open university staff, was overwhelmed.
Though the title is British in origin, there are regius professors in the universities of the USA.
As with everything else related to the Crown in the UK, the issue of making some select professors ‘regius professors’ has become controversial with some politicians questioning the fairness in the entire process.
