Sir David Watson is to retire as vice-chancellor of Brighton University at the end of the 2005 academic year. Sir David, 55, who has been head of the institution since 1990 when it was still a polytechnic, said 15 years was a significant stint in the post and that he wanted to give the institution plenty of time to find his successor. Sir David, a grammar school boy who won a scholarship to Eton, has no immediate plans but said he wants to stay within the academic community.