relationship with investment firm BlackRock. In response, Principal Mathieson emphasised that the university would respect peaceful protest rights, while also defending its investment practices. The university subsequently established a working group to review its investment policies related to "armaments and controversial weapons" and launched a consultation on ethical investing principles. The protest camp was dismantled in June. In March 2025, a student was attacked with a sharp object during a Gaza protest outside the main library; Edinburgh University Students' Association alleged that the university security's slow response was reflective of "the University's attitude towards students showing their support for Palestine." Nevertheless, Vice Principal Colm Harmon condemned the attack, and stated the university was taking the matter seriously. The attacker was arrested and subsequently sentenced to a 22-month jail term.
=== Student co-operatives ===
There are three student-run co-operatives associated with the University: Edinburgh Student Housing Co-operative (ESHC), providing affordable housing for 106 students; the Hearty Squirrel Food Cooperative, providing local, organic and affordable food to students and staff; and the SHRUB Coop, a swap and re-use hub aimed at reducing waste and promoting sustainability. Of these, only the Hearty Squirrel Co-operative operates on campus. ESHC is based on the Bruntsfield Links south of the University's central campus, and hosts students from all three city universities and Edinburgh College. The SHRUB co-operative was formed partly by University of Edinburgh students but is now run by interested members from across Edinburgh. The co-operatives form part of the Students for Cooperation network.
== Notable people ==
The university is associated with some of the most significant intellectual and scientific contributions in human history, which include: the foundation of Antiseptic surgery (Joseph Lister), Bayesian statistics (Thomas Bayes), Economics (Adam Smith), Electromagnetism …
