Biography
Based at Cambridge and past President of the European Academies Science Advisory Council, Halle, Germany. Formerly Master of St Edmund’s College, Cambridge, he is a Fellow of The Royal Society and was Foreign Secretary and Vice-President. Hon Fellow of the Royal Agricultural Society, past Director of Research at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, and an international engagement in science, sustainable development and science advice for policy makers.
Sir Brian is also Honorary Senior Scientific Consultant and Director of the Programme for Food Security and Sustainable Development at the Malaysian Commonwealth Studies Centre, Cambridge and Joint Deputy Executive Chairman and Trustee of the Cambridge Malaysian Education and Development Trust, Cambridge.
As a biological scientist published extensively on endocrine physiology, reproductive biology and biotechnology, he became Director of Research at the Institute of Animal Physiology and Genetics Research (Cambridge and Edinburgh) and at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council, Swindon, and was Special Professor at the University of Nottingham.
Formerly President of the Institute of Biology, UK Representative on the European Science Foundation, Strasbourg, and UK Representative on the NATO Science Committee, Brussels, he was elected Fellow of the Royal Society and held posts as Foreign Secretary, Vice-President, and editor of the Philosophical Transactions of the Royal Society, Series B.
With the Nuffield Council on Bioethics, the Department of Health's Expert Group on Cloning, the President's Advisory Group on Biotechnology, and Parliamentary Select Committee he has been engaged in public issues of biotechnology, population growth, sustainability and science policy working with the World Health Organisation, the UK-China Forum and the European Commission. He was scientific consultant for several international pharmaceutical companies and is Special Adviser for ZyGEM Co Ltd, New Zealand.