Government Chief Scientific Adviser (United Kingdom)

The UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA) is the personal adviser on science and technology-related activities and policies to the Prime Minister and the Cabinet; and head of the Government Office for Science.

The Chief Scientific Advisor has a significant public role as the government's most visible scientific expert.

As of 2011, every individual government department has its own departmental Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA). The Department for Health has a Chief Scientist in addition to its Chief Scientific Advisor.^[1] The GCSA has no formal management responsibility for departmental CSAs and is free to provide advice to all departments, including those that have their own chief scientific adviser. The GCSA and departmental CSAs sit on a Chief Scientific Adviser's Committee (CSAC), a cross-departmental forum for the discussion of science issues, chaired by the GCSA.^[2] The advisor also usually serves as chair of the UK’s Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE).^[3]

List of Government Chief Scientific Advisers

• Sir Solly Zuckerman, 1964–1971
• Sir Alan Cottrell, 1971–1974
• Dr Robert Press, 1974–1976
• Dr John Ashworth, 1977–1981
• Sir Robin Nicholson, 1982–1985
• Sir John Fairclough, 1986–1990
• Sir William Stewart, 1990–1995
• Sir Robert May, 1995–2000
• Sir David King, 2000–2008
• Sir John Beddington, 2008–2013
• Sir Mark Walport, 2013-

See also

• Chief Medical Officer in the United Kingdom
• Chief Scientific Officer for England
• MoD Chief Scientific Adviser
• Government Office for Science
• Frederick Lindemann, 1st Viscount Cherwell

References

External links

• Official webpage
• The Role of the Chief Scientific Adviser A discussion at the Royal Society, 2001.