Paul Axel Boving was born in 1874 in Denmark. He studied at the Alnarp Agriculture Institute in Sweden, and in 1916 he joined the newly formed U.B.C. Department of Agronomy as an assistant professor. He taught Agronomy 1 and 2, as well as several extra sessional courses to returning soldiers. His primary areas of interest were the study of weeds, turnips, seed production, cultural methods and fertilizers. During 1925 and 1926, Boving was absent on sick leave, during which G.G. Moe was acting head of the department. Boving resigned in 1930 due to ill health but remained in the department until his retirement in 1939. Shortly after his retirement, Boving was awarded an honorary doctorate. He died in 1947.