Council is BBSRC’s highest decision making body and determines policy, priorities and strategy.
The three new members of Council are Professor Russell Foster FRS, Dr Michael Goosey and Dr Will West. Each appointment is effective from 1 April 2011 and for a period of four years.
Professor Sir Tom Blundell, BBSRC Chairman, said: “I am pleased to be able to welcome the new members to BBSRC Council. Collectively they bring an excellent mix of academic and industry expertise and a broad understanding of key BBSRC strategic areas in fundamental bioscience and applications to industry underpinning health and bioenergy. BBSRC has a vital role in maintaining the UK’s world-leading position in the biosciences and I look forward to the contributions Prof Foster and Drs Goosey and West will be able to make to discussions at Council.”
Prof Russell Foster FRS
Prof Russell Foster is Professor of Circadian Neuroscience at the University of Oxford and Head of Department of the Nuffield Laboratory of Ophthalmology. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society.
Prof Foster’s research interests focus on the role of the biological mechanisms that both regulate and generate circadian rhythms and sleep. His work has important implications for understanding the relationship between health and sleep/circadian rhythm disruption.
Prof Foster has significant experience of working with BBSRC, having served on a number of the Council’s committees and boards over the last decade. These have included periods as chair of the BBSRC Animal Sciences Committee, The Healthy Organism Strategy Panel and as a member of Strategy Advisory Board.
Prof Foster has a strong commitment to communication and public engagement; he has published two popular science books on biological rhythms (The Rhythms of Life and The Seasons of Life) and is the new Chair of the Cheltenham Science Festival.
Dr Michael Goosey
Dr Michael Goosey FRSC recently retired from a senior role with Shell, following a long career in industrial research and development, with specific responsibility for Shell’s research interests in bioenergy and industrial biotechnology.
Dr Goosey has significant and extensive experience in fostering and maintaining strong relationships between the research base and industry in the Americas, Europe and Asia.
Dr Goosey has previously been involved in a number of UK Government and BBSRC initiatives around industrial biotechnology and bioenergy. These have included the BIS Industrial Biotechnology Innovation and Growth Leadership Team and the BBSRC Sustainable Bioenergy Centre.
Dr Will West
Dr Will West is Chief Executive of CellCentric Ltd and Chairman of the BioIndustry Association’s Emerging Companies Network.
CellCentric, based in Cambridge, is a biotechnology company focused on new drug discovery for epigenetic targets. The company has strong links with academia, including collaborations with BBSRC researchers and with the Babraham Institute.
Dr West has a strong track record in national skills policy development. He was involved the SEMTA sector skills committee and was part of the team behind the 2009 Bioscience Innovation and Growth Team (BIGT) Refresh and Review that made recommendations that have since been adopted by Government.
The new appointments to Council replace two retiring members and fill one vacancy. The retiring members are Dr Malcolm Weir and Prof Quintin McKellar.
