Announcing the appointment, the Secretary of State for Business, Innovation and Skills, Vince Cable said: “He has an excellent academic and research background and will be a great asset to the council.”

Boyle (pictured) will serve for four years and will take up the role in September as the permanent successor to Ian Diamond, who left at the end of June. Astrid Wissenburg will serve as interim chief executive until then.

He was most recently head of the School of Geography and Geosciences at the University of St Andrews, and was previously at the University of Leeds.

During his career, Boyle has carried out research projects examining population and health geography and has been a director of the ESRC-funded Longitudinal Studies Centre in Scotland.

ESRC chair Alan Gillespie said: “We are very pleased that Professor Boyle will be leading the ESRC during the challenging times ahead. With Professor Boyle’s exceptional academic credentials and interdisciplinary experience, this appointment will further strengthen the opportunities for the UK’s social science community to undertake world class research and to have an impact on the economic development and quality of life of the UK and beyond.”