the-BA : 2008 Presidential Announcement

The BA today announces the appointment of Sir David King as its President for the year 2008. Sir David will succeed the current President, Lord Browne of Madingley, and assume the Presidency after he steps down at the end of 2007 as the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. He will deliver his Presidential Address at the BA Festival of Science in Liverpool in September 2008 and has chosen ‘Sustainability through science’ as his theme.

Sir David King says: ‘I am delighted to be taking up the Presidency in 2008 and look forward to working with the BA to promote and develop public engagement in science on critically important issues such as climate change and sustainability.’

The announcement coincides with the Science Communication Conference organised by the BA in collaboration with the Royal Society. This year, as part of a continuing focus on climate change, we have decided to devote the entire programme of day two of the Science Communication Conference to the topic of public engagement with climate change.

Commenting on Sir David’s appointment, Professor Patrick Dowling, Chair of the BA Council, says: ‘We are delighted to welcome Sir David as President. The BA began a three-year focus on climate change and related issues in March 2006. With his commitment to the subject, as well as his extensive experience of assessing the challenges and long-term strategies necessary to achieve change, Sir David will bring a new dimension to this initiative.’

Sir David was appointed as the Government's Chief Scientific Adviser and Head of the Office of Science and Technology(1) in October 2000. During his time in office, his work has included developing a sustainable long-term strategy for the UK’s energy policy and he was heavily involved in producing the UK's ten-year Science and Innovation Framework, which is applicable until 2014. He runs the Government's Foresight Programme, which aims to provide challenging visions of the future, to ensure that effective strategies are developed now.

In addition to his work in HM Government, Sir David has had a distinguished scientific career. From 1988-2005 he held the position of 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Cambridge and was also Head of the University Chemistry Department from 1993-2000. He continues as Director of Research at the University of Cambridge.

Sir David joins a list of distinguished Presidents who have included Professor Thomas Huxley, Professor Sir JJ Thomson, Professor Dorothy Hodgkin, Sir David Attenborough and Professor Robert Winston.

(1) In April 2006 the Office of Science and Technology merged with the DTI’s Innovation Group to become the Office of Science and Innovation.

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