JOHN Archer, who has died aged 64, was principal and vice-chancellor of Heriot-Watt University for almost 10 years. During his tenure in Edinburgh, the university grew substantially, with overall student numbers increasing by one third, including a doubling of the number of postgraduates. At the same time, it made considerable advances in research; became recognised as Scotland's most international university, with around 30% of on-campus students from outside the UK; and achieved unparalleled numbers of off-campus students studying its programmes in more than 100 countries.

Archer was brought up in London, attending Chiswick Grammar School and gaining a BSc in industrial chemistry from City University in 1965. He went on to obtain a PhD at Imperial College before commencing his career as a petroleum engineer, spending four years in Canada with Esso and then, back in the UK, working as a consultant and founding his own company in 1977.

He took up a readership in petroleum engineering at Imperial College in 1980 and was appointed professor in 1986 and head of the department of mineral resources engineering. He went on to play an increasingly senior role in the management of Imperial College, first as dean, then pro-rector and finally deputy rector.

As principal of Heriot-Watt from 1997 until his retirement in July 2006, Archer emphasised the importance of growth in terms of research and in the numbers of international and postgraduate students. He encouraged investment by the university in the appointment of leading research staff in anticipation of the UK's Research Assessment Exercise of 2001. The outcome was significant growth both in research standing and income to the university. Like many others, however, it faced severe budgetary pressures around the beginning of the present decade and financial deficits were incurred for several years.

Archer oversaw a major and successful restructuring of the university from a number of independent, single-discipline departments to a smaller number of larger, multi-disciplinary schools. The result was a stronger academic structure and a return to financial health from 2002 onwards.

He oversaw merger in 1997 with the Scottish College of Textiles to create the university's Scottish Borders Campus in Galashiels; the transfer of the School of Planning and Housing from Edinburgh College of Art to Heriot-Watt in 2002; and the formation of the university's new campus in Dubai in 2005. Towards the end of his time as principal, he took a leading part in promoting Heriot-Watt's participation in a series of multi-university research partnerships across Scotland to create what has become known as "research pooling", a specifically Scottish approach to British university research.

Archer was a man of considerable personal charm and good humour. Together with his wife, Lesley, he was tireless in his promotion of Heriot-Watt within Scotland, often attending events every night of the week. They made many visits to the university's learning partners in different parts of the world.

One of his most enduring contributions at Heriot-Watt was the appointment, initially with generous industrial support, of a musician in residence who created a university orchestra and choir, which now performs regularly to sell-out audiences.

Archer made a major contribution to life in Scotland and the UK not only through his leadership of Heriot-Watt University but also through his many external appointments, including as a member of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, as chairman of Scottish Enterprise Edinburgh and Lothian, as convener of the research and commercialisation committee of the Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals, as chair of the Research Committee of Universities UK, as convener of Universities Scotland and as president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers.

He received many honours, including honorary degrees from the University of Edinburgh, Imperial College, City University and Heriot-Watt. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and of the Royal Academy Engineering, and was appointed CBE for services to Higher Education in 2002.

He died after a long and courageous battle against cancer and is survived by Lesley, their son, Adam, and their daughter, Louise.