Lord May is the immediate past-President of the Royal Society (2000 – 2005) and was Chief Scientific Adviser to the British Government and Head of the Office of Science and Technology for a five-year period ending in September 2000.

He has received many honours for his scientific research and holds a Professorship jointly in the Department of Zoology, Oxford University, and at Imperial College, London. He also serves as an Executive Trustee of the Nuffield Foundation, as a Trustee of the British Council and is a member of the Scientific Council for the European Research Council.