Imperial College environmental science expert named UK Chief Scientific Advisor

Professor John Beddington takes up key Government role - News Release

For immediate use
Monday 1 October 2007

The appointment of Professor John Beddington FRS as the UK Government's Chief Scientific Advisor was warmly welcomed today by Imperial College London.

Professor Beddington, 61, currently holds the Chair in Applied Population Biology within Imperial's Division of Biology. His research has focussed on environmental science on a national and international scale, and he is known particularly for applying his expertise in economics and biology to the management of fisheries and other renewable resources.

Welcoming the appointment, Imperial's Rector Sir Richard Sykes said:

"The job of Chief Scientific Advisor is a vitally important one that demands a broad knowledge both of how science is done and how it impacts on the wider world. John's contribution to understanding the consequences of how we manage natural resources has been immense.

"Staff at Imperial seek to apply their knowledge for the benefit of society in many ways, and providing world-class science advice to policy-makers is a key contribution that we can make. The way John has applied his expertise in a practical way throughout his career will serve him and the country very well in his new role."

Professor Beddington joined the College as a Reader in 1984, was promoted to professor in 1991 and from 1994 to 1997 was Director of the Imperial College Centre for Environmental Technology. Between 1998 and 2001 he was Director of the T. H. Huxley School of Environment, Earth Sciences and Engineering, and subsequently was Head of the Department of Environmental Science and Technology from 2001 to 2004.

His many awards and honours include the Heidelberg Award for Environmental Excellence in 1997 and the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in 2003 for services to fisheries science and management. He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001.

Professor Beddington is currently chair of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Science Advisory Council and has acted as a senior advisor in fisheries development and management to national and international bodies including the House of Lords Science and Technology Committee, the Cabinet Office Civil Contingency Secretariat, the European Commission and the United Nations Environment Programme.

For further information contact:

Abigail Smith
Imperial College London Press Office
Tel: 020 7594 6701
Email: abigail.smith@imperial.ac.uk

Notes to editors:

About Professor John Beddington FRS

Professor John Beddington is one of the world's leading experts in fisheries science. In addition to his role as Professor of Applied Biology at Imperial College London, which he joined in 1984, he has directed the Department for International Development's Fisheries Management Science Programme, founded the Marine Resources Assessment Group, and advised bodies including the Foreign and Commonwealth Office, the National Audit Office and the House of Lords. He was President of the Resource Modelling Association from 1994 to 1996, and in 1999 acted as an independent witness at the International Law of the Sea Tribunal in the case between Australia, New Zealand and Japan on bluefin tuna conservation. He heads the UK scientific delegation to the Commission for the Conservation of Antarctic Marine Living Resources, and in 2005 was appointed chair of the Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs' Science Advisory Council.

About Imperial College London

Imperial College London - rated as the world's ninth best university in the 2006 Times Higher Education Supplement University Rankings - is a science-based institution with a reputation for excellence in teaching and research that attracts 11,500 students and 6,000 staff of the highest international quality.

Innovative research at the College explores the interface between science, medicine, engineering and management and delivers practical solutions that improve quality of life and the environment - underpinned by a dynamic enterprise culture.

With 66 Fellows of the Royal Society among our current academic staff and distinguished past members of the College including 14 Nobel Laureates and two Fields Medallists, Imperial's contribution to society has been immense. Inventions and innovations include the discovery of penicillin, the development of holography and the foundations of fibre optics. This commitment to the application of our research for the benefit of all continues today with current focuses including interdisciplinary collaborations to tackle climate change and mathematical modelling to predict and control the spread of infectious diseases.

The College's 100 years of living science will be celebrated throughout 2007 with a range of events to mark the Centenary of the signing of Imperial's founding charter on 8 July 1907.

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