Geoff Palmer (scientist)

Sir
Geoff Palmer
Born
Godfrey Henry Oliver Palmer

(1940-04-09)9 April 1940
Died12 June 2025(2025-06-12) (aged 85)
Edinburgh, Scotland
Alma materUniversity of Leicester
University of Edinburgh
Heriot-Watt University
Known for
  • First black professor in Scotland
  • Barley abrasion process
Scientific career
Doctoral advisorEdmund Hirst
Other academic advisorsAnna Macleod

Sir Godfrey Henry Oliver "Geoff" Palmer (9 April 1940 – 12 June 2025), was a Jamaican-British academic and human rights activist who was professor emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.

Palmer discovered the barley abrasion process while he was a researcher at Heriot-Watt University under the guidance of Anna Macleod. In 1998, Palmer was honoured with the American Society of Brewing Chemists Award of Distinction, considered the "Nobel Prize of brewing".

In 1989, he became the first black professor in Scotland, becoming a professor emeritus after he retired in 2005. He was knighted in the 2014 New Year Honours.