Struther Arnott was born in Larkhall, Lanarkshire, and educated at the Hamilton Academy (1945–52) where in 1952 he received the academy's gold medal for general scholarship and silver medal in chemistry and in mathematics, and from which school he won 5th place overall and 1st science place in the University of Glasgow Open Bursary Competition, 1952.[6]
Following graduation (BSc (Chemistry and Mathematics), 1956), followed by PhD (Chemistry), 1960), Struther worked with the Biophysics Unit of King's College London, before his appointment as Professor of Molecular Biology at Purdue University, Indiana.
At Purdue he served as head (chairman) of the Department of Biological Sciences, vice-president for Research and dean of the Graduate School. He returned to the United Kingdom to serve as principal and vice-chancellor at St Andrews from 1986 until his retirement in December 1999.[citation needed]
Excludes Principals of the prior constituent institutions of the university: St John's College, St Salvator's College, St Leonard's College, and St Mary's College