Imperial welcomes appointment of Professor John Harries to top science role for the Welsh Assembly Government

Imperial physicist becomes first Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales - <em>News Release</em>

For immediate release
Tuesday 2 February 2010

Professor John Harries' appointment to the post of Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales was warmly welcomed today by Imperial College London. The news makes Professor Harries the second current Chief Scientific Adviser at the College, joining Professor John Beddington who became adviser to the UK Government in October 2007.

Professor Harries holds the Chair in Earth Observation in the College's Department of Physics and will continue to focus around 20% of his time on his academic role at Imperial. A renowned atmospheric physicist, he is particularly known for leading the team that produced the first direct observational evidence of an increase in the Earth's greenhouse effect between 1970 and 1997. Published in 2001 in the journal Nature, this research provided fundamental evidence that significant rises in the emission of greenhouse gases such as carbon dioxide were responsible for warming the Earth by trapping more of the sun's heat in the atmosphere.

Welcoming the appointment, Sir Keith O'Nions, Rector of Imperial College London, said:

"The role of chief scientific adviser demands a broad level of knowledge and also a great deal of common sense, and I'm glad to say that in choosing John the Welsh Assembly Government has gained an adviser with ample amounts of both. I know he will do an excellent job of providing the kind of sound, evidence-based advice that is key to good policy making.

"To have two scientific advisers on the staff at the same time must be highly unusual, and says something about the environment at Imperial. This has always been an outward looking place keen to apply the knowledge it generates for the good of society. It's great to see John upholding that spirit, and I congratulate him wholeheartedly on being appointed to this exciting new role."

Professor Joanna Haigh, Head of the Department of Physics at Imperial, added:

"John's breadth of experience in scientific research and administration both at Imperial and at the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory makes him an ideal candidate for this role. His knowledge of a wide range of scientific and technical issues relating to climate and space will stand him in good stead, and his longstanding and unfailing support for the Welsh rugby team may also come in handy."

Professor Harries' career began at the National Physical Laboratory, Teddington, in 1967 where he worked while carrying out his PhD at King's College London. He went on to become Principal Scientific Officer and Head of Environmental Standards Group before joining the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory in 1980 to help to develop a new Division of Geophysics and Radio. During this period, he continued his scientific interest in atmospheric physics, and became Associate Director and Head of the new Space Science Department in 1986, focusing on atmospheric and astrophysical space research, and space technology.

He joined Imperial in 1994 as Professor of Earth Observation and took on the role of Head of the Space and Atmospheric Group between 1999 and 2006.

He is a past President of the Royal Meteorological Society, and of the International Radiation Commission, and has been a member of the Natural Environment Research Council and several NERC Boards. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Royal Meteorological Society, the American Geophysical Union and a member of the American Meteorological Society.

For further information contact:

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

Notes to editors:

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