Maxwell Irvine

{{short description|British physicist and university administrator}}

{{Use dmy dates|date=January 2018}}

{{Use British English|date=January 2018}}

{{Infobox officeholder

|honorific_prefix =

|name = Maxwell Irvine

|image =

|caption =

|order =

|title = Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham

|term_start = 1996

|term_end = 2001

|predecessor = Sir Michael Thompson

|successor = Sir Michael Sterling

|title2 = Principal of the University of Aberdeen

|term_start2 = 1991

|term_end2 = 1996

|predecessor2 = George Paul McNicol

|successor2 = Sir Duncan Rice

|birth_date = {{Birth date|1939|02|28||df=y}}

|birth_place = Morningside, Edinburgh, Scotland

|death_date = {{death date and age|2012|3|24|1939|02|28|df=y}}

|death_place = Coniston, Cumbria, England

|education = George Heriot's School

|alma_mater = University of Edinburgh (MA)
University of Michigan (MSc)
University of Manchester (PhD)

|profession = Theoretical physicist, university administrator

|spouse = {{marriage|Grace Ritchie|1962}}

}}

John Maxwell Irvine (28 February 1939 – 24 March 2012) was a British theoretical physicist and university administrator, who served as Vice-Chancellor of the University of Birmingham and the Principal and Vice-Chancellor of the Aberdeen.{{Cite web|url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/obituaries/9221905/Professor-Maxwell-Irvine.html|title=Professor Maxwell Irvine}}

Maxwell Irvine became Professor of Theoretical Physics at Manchester University in 1983 and Dean of Science at Manchester in 1989. Irvine was Vice-Chancellor of the University of Aberdeen from 1991 to 1996. He was Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham University from 1996 to 2001. Irvine served as chairman of the nuclear physics committee of the Science Research Council and vice-president of the Institute of Physics. He was a director of the Public Health Laboratory Service. During the 1997 general election campaign, while he was Vice-Chancellor of Birmingham University, Irvine introduced Tony Blair before his keynote "education, education, education" speech.{{cite web|url=http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/news/birmingham-v-c-rounds-on-blair/152183.article|title= Birmingham v-c rounds on Blair|publisher= The Times Higher Education|date=23 June 2000|accessdate=22 March 2015}} However three years later Irvine published an open letter to Prime Minister Blair, criticising the government's policies towards universities. Irvine married Grace Ritchie in 1962 and had a son. His hobby was hill-walking.