‘Consult Professor Pittock’s Wikipedia entry, and you will be astonished… How, you may ask, can one man be so knowledgeable, so industrious, so sociable, so intellectually curious, such a master of both the digital and established academic worlds. Is he an individual or an industry?’ –Scotsman (2022)
‘Pittock is an extraordinary polymath whose ability to cover a vast subject area is breath-taking… his scope is vast and he writes with verve and panache that rivals anything that has gone before.’ –Scottish Field (2022)
‘Le grand historien écossais’ – Historia (2024)
‘a tremendous influence on the culture of the country…an intellectual and cultural icon’- Alex Neil, former Cabinet Secretary for Health (2025)
‘You are held in very high regard for your leadership, integrity, character, and unwavering commitment to academic excellence, all with a very human and deeply caring attitude’- Alex Acland, Director of UK Education Practice and Partner, Odgers Berndtson (2025)
‘Murray Pittock, a Legend’ – Dan Snow (History Hit, 24 November 2022)
‘probably Scottish academia’s leading cultural commentator’– Chris Goulding
‘one of Scotland’s leading public intellectuals, and certainly its most significant public historian’ – reader, Global History
‘Scotland’s leading historian’ – Player FM (2024)
‘Scotland’s leading cultural historian’ – Edinburgh University Press, Joan McAlpine, History Hit
‘world-leading and field-defining’, UK Research and Innovation report (2017)
‘enormously impactful on his field and on other dimensions of Scottish life…A person of great vision with an uncommon ability to bring these visions to bear…an extraordinary scholar and a very good soul’ – Professor Matt Wickman, Brigham Young University
‘Scotland’s Number One Public Intellectual. Immense learning lightly worn’ – Stelios Rigopoulos, Executive Director, Rigastel Business Consultancy (2022)
‘Scotland’s leading public intellectual’ – National Endowment for the Humanities Seminar, Notre Dame (2014)
‘a rare combination of talents for strategic thinking, policy development and vigorous policy implementation’- Penny Summerfield FBA AcSS
‘Murray. I’ve met very few people in my life who understand what it is to truly collaborate and share as intuitively as you do’ – John Webster, Principal Private Secretary, Scottish Government
‘Your writings were an inspiration’- Pól Ó Dochartaigh MRIA
‘one of Scotland’s most influential scientists’ – ADVN, Antwerp, 2020
‘His range is simply extraordinary. He has re-orientated thinking in every area about which he has written, pre-eminently, of course, Scottish literature, culture and politics, but also History, English Literature and Irish Studies. His work on Jacobitism is ground-breaking; yet, his thinking about contemporary Scottish politics is also highly regarded, as demonstrated not just by his publications, but his media roles both here and abroad, including his remarkable BBC Radio 4 series The Roots of Scottish Nationalism‘ – Association for Scottish Literature [then Association for Scottish Literary Studies] (2015)
On Kelvin Hall:
‘a wonderfully ambitious collaboration, that even brings the NLS to Glasgow. Well done. You should be rightly proud. Tremendous achievement. Building on others-like the Scottish Graduate School. Academic entrepreneurialism at its best.’ – Chris Whatley OBE, former Vice Principal, University of Dundee
‘Congratulations on the Kelvin Hall development. Your piece on camera is inspirational-a wonderful vision & a truly international pitch’. – Karen Watt, Former CEO, Scottish Funding Council
As a colleague:
‘Many of us at Manchester do not believe that we would be the academics we are now if it were not for your belief in our abilities and for all you did to make us feel valued’ – Dr Anastasia Valassopoulos, World Literatures, University of Manchester (2019)
‘You have been such a wonderful mentor since my early undergrad days and you have continued to inspire’-Sheba Mohammid, AI consultant, formerly Director IT Strategy Trinidad and Tobago (2025)
‘The best thing we did was to appoint you and to watch you perform (and hear the accolades of your colleagues) has given me real pleasure’ – Chris Woods OBE, Dean of Arts, University of Manchester
Murray Pittock 