David Worthington

Professor David Worthington is Acting Dean at the Faculty of Arts, Humanities, Business and Education, UHI (until 2025). He is a leading historian specializing in Scottish and British connections with Central Europe (1500-1700) and coastal history, particularly the Moray Firth region. He holds a PhD from the University of Aberdeen (2000) and has held prestigious fellowships at NUI Maynooth and the University of Aberdeen.

• Research Focus: Scottish-Polish historical ties, early modern coastal communities, cultural and social history of the Scottish Highlands, pre-1707 Atlantic slavery entanglements, and British/Irish expatriates in Central Europe.
• Teaching: Program leader for BA History and Politics (2010), MLitt History of the Highlands and Islands (2011), and MLitt Coastal and Maritime Societies and Cultures (2017). Current modules: Scots in Poland, Poles in Scotland, Late Medieval and Early Modern Ireland, and Rivers, Ports and Coasts in European History.
• Publications: 15+ works on Scottish-Habsburg relations, coastal historiography, and Scottish Highlands before Culloden. Notably, he hosted the first-ever Firths and Fjords coastal history conference in Dornoch (2016) and co-founded the Coastal History Network (2020).

Scientific Awards:

• Fellow of the Royal Historical Society (2023)
• Leverhulme Early Career Research Fellowship (2005-2007)
• Irish Research Council for the Humanities and Social Sciences Postdoctoral Fellowship (2001-2002)

Supervision: Supervises PhD students including Jane Thomas (ESF-funded, 2017-present) on Atlantic Salmon's cultural and commercial role in Scottish Highlands (1500-1800). Leads on public history initiatives like the Scottish-Polish historical links social media projects.