John Beddington
| Sir John Beddington | |
|---|---|
| Born | 13 October 1945 |
| Residence | UK |
| Nationality | British |
| Fields | Applied Population Biology |
| Institutions | Imperial College London, University of York, University of Edinburgh |
| Alma mater | London School of Economics, University of Edinburgh |
| Known for | Economics and biology of sustainable management of renewable resources |
| Notable awards | Heidelberg Award for Environmental Excellence |
Sir John Rex Beddington, CMG, FRS (born 13 October 1945) is the Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government and Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London.
Contents |
[edit] Early life
Beddington went to school at the independent Monmouth School in south-east Wales, close to the English border.[1] He then attended the London School of Economics, gaining a BSc in Economics, and later an MSc. In 1973 he was awarded a PhD degree from the University of Edinburgh.
[edit] Career
From 1968 to 1971 he was a research assistant at the University of Edinburgh. From 1971 to 1984 he was a lecturer in Population Biology at the University of York.
[edit] Imperial College London
He joined Imperial in 1984, was promoted to Reader in Applied Population Biology in 1987[2] and was appointed Professor of Applied Population Biology there in 1991.[3]
Beddington has been a specialist in the economics and biology of sustainable management of renewable resources, and has previously advised UK ministers on scientific and environmental issues. He has chaired the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs’ science advisory panel and the Defence Scientific Advisory Committee, and is a member of the Natural Environmental Research Council.[4] He has also advised the European Commission and the United Nations Food and Agriculture Organisation.
Professor Beddington was awarded the Heidelberg Award for Environmental Excellence in June 1997, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2001 [5] and was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by Queen Elizabeth II in 2004, in recognition of his services to fisheries science and management[6].
[edit] Chief Scientific Officer
On 1 October 2007, it was announced by the Prime Minister Gordon Brown that Beddington would succeed Professor Sir David King as the Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government with effect from 1 January 2008.[7] His annual remuneration for this role is £165,000.[8]
[edit] Controversy
[edit] Fukushima nuclear incident advice
Beddington was closely involved in helping the British government formulate its response and advice to British citizens in Japan.
[edit] Personal life
Beddington was knighted in the 2010 Birthday Honours.[9]
He married Sarah West in 1968. They divorced in 1972 and have one son. In 1973 he married Prof Sally Baldwin. They divorced in 1979 and have one daughter. In 1990 he married Caroline Hiller.
[edit] References
- ^ Monmouth School
- ^ Staff page on the Imperial College London website
- ^ [1] New Government Chief Scientific Adviser announced - 10 Downing Street website, accessed 13th January 2008
- ^ Honours and awards J Beddington imperial.ac.uk
- ^ "Lists of Royal Society Fellows 1660-2007". London: The Royal Society. http://royalsociety.org/Lists-of-Royal-Society-Fellows-1660-2007/. Retrieved 20 July 2010.[dead link]
- ^ May, R. M.; Beddington, J. R.; Clark, C. W.; Holt, S. J.; Laws, R. M. (1979). "Management of Multispecies Fisheries". Science 205 (4403): 267–277. doi:10.1126/science.205.4403.267. PMID 17747032.
- ^ "New Government Chief Scientific Adviser announced". HM Government. 1 October 2007. Archived from the original on 8 December 2009. http://webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/20100811014020/webarchive.nationalarchives.gov.uk/+/http://www.number10.gov.uk/page13362. Retrieved 10 January 2012.
- ^ "Top civil servant salary list published". Directgov. 2010-06-01. http://www.direct.gov.uk/en/Nl1/Newsroom/DG_188114. Retrieved 2010-06-14.
- ^ London Gazette: (Supplement) no. 59446. p. 1. 12 June 2010.
[edit] External links
- Imperial College London
- A interview on BBC News 19/3/09
- UK Population Biology Network
- John Beddington on Twitter
| Preceded by Sir David King |
Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government 2008– |
Incumbent |
- Living people
- Fellows of the Royal Society
- Fellows of the Zoological Society of London
- Academics of Imperial College London
- Academics of the University of York
- Alumni of the University of Edinburgh
- Alumni of the London School of Economics
- British scientists
- British biologists
- People educated at Monmouth School
- Companions of the Order of St Michael and St George
- Chief Scientific Advisers to HM Government
- Knights Bachelor
- 1945 births
