The Welsh Assembly Government has finally announced the name of the man who will take on the role of chief scientific adviser, and he’s Welsh!
After much head scratching, the Assembly has appointed John Harries, a professor of Earth observation at Imperial College’s Blackett Laboratory, and a member of its Grantham Institute for Climate Research. He will start the job on 1 May.
The appointment follows months of speculation and a dark period last year during which the assembly was thought to be considering scrapping the position entirely due to a lack of funds.
Former first minister Rhodri Morgan commissioned a report as long ago as 2007 to look at whether or not the Assembly needed its own CSA. However, it took until June 2009 for the Assembly to confirm that the position would be created and until now to decide who it should be.
The Assembly is eager to point out that, despite his esteemed career in institutions based in England, Harries is first and foremost, a Welshman, originally from Aberavon. He will take responsibility for promoting science in the assembly’s policy making and will be expected to challenge ministers on their decisions. He will also “provide access on level terms” with John Beddington, the UK government’s CSA.
Harries has held a number of other high profile positions in his time, including associate director of the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory’s Space Science Department at director of projects and technology at the British National Space Centre. He has also been president of Royal Meteorological Society.
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