Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy
Dr Brian Bowsher has been appointed as the Chief Executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council (STFC), Science Minister Jo Johnson announced today (27 October 2016). He will take up his position on 1 November 2016.
Science Minister Jo Johnson said:
Dr Bowsher is a highly respected scientist, with extensive experience leading world-class science laboratories, managing major science facilities and representing the UK on an international stage.
As a member of the STFC council he is already familiar with the organisation, making him the ideal person to promote the UKs scientific expertise and extend our international collaborations.
Dr Bowsher said:
It is an honour to be asked to lead STFC and drive scientific research with our partners, both in the UK and internationally. STFCs unique combination of highly skilled staff, university partnerships, international collaborations and national laboratories plays a major role in delivering societal and economic benefit to the UK. I am very confident this will not only continue but be enhanced.
He will replace Professor John Womersley, who has been appointed the next Director-General of the multi-national European Spallation Source research facility.
Dr Bowsher was Managing Director of the National Physical Laboratory for more than 6 years. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry, a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, and an Honorary Fellow of the Institute of Measurement and Control. He is also a member of the Comit International des Poids et Mesures (CIPM), the world-wide authority charged with promoting uniformity in measurement.
He gained his PhD in Inorganic Chemistry from the University of Southampton in 1981, and has written approximately 200 publications, mostly on materials, chemistry and nuclear fuel issues. His initial career was in nuclear technology, managing various nuclear safety research programmes including major projects in the USA and EU. He joined AWE in 2002 where he was on the Executive Board initially as Director of Research and Applied Science then as Director of Systems Engineering. He was appointed Managing Director of the National Physical Laboratory (NPL) at the beginning of March 2009 a post he held until his retirement in June 2015.
He was appointed to the STFC council in May 2013.