In this episode of pplpod, we pull back the curtain on the most exclusive tier of academia: the Regis Professorship. Steeped in over five centuries of tradition, these rare chairs require the literal seal of approval from a monarch and represent the ultimate "trump card" in academic prestige.

We trace the history of these royal appointments from their origins in 1497—starting with medicine at the University of Aberdeen—to the massive 16th-century "hiring spree" by Henry VIII at Oxford and Cambridge. You'll learn how the definition of a fundamental subject has shifted from ancient Greek and soul-governing divinity to the 21st-century battlegrounds of computer science, climate change, and precision medicine.

Key Highlights:

• The "Regis" Title: Why these schola ...