Sally Mapstone

Prof Dame Sally Mapstone FRSE is the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the University of St Andrews, serving as the second woman in this role. She holds an Honorary Professorship in the School of English, specializing in medieval and Renaissance Scottish literature. Her roles include board memberships at Universities UK, UCAS, and the Europaeum, while leading access initiatives for Universities Scotland and chairing the University of Helsinki's international advisory board. Her research focuses on Older Scots literature, book history, and textual transmission. She has supervised 25 doctoral students, all successfully examined, and contributed to Arthurian and Chaucerian studies.

Research interests include medieval Scottish literary texts, manuscript analysis, and cultural history. Her work bridges textual scholarship with historical contexts, emphasizing unrecognised textual witnesses and literary transmission. Awards include the Foreign Policy Association of America Medal (2017) and RSE Fellowship (2019). She previously served as External Examiner for Edinburgh University (2007–2009) and advises on higher education policy through multiple national boards.