UK appoints first woman chief scientific officer, infectious disease expert Angela McLean

UK PM Rishi Sunak, who selected McLean, said her role would be vital in enabling the government to harness science to ‘improve public services, create jobs, and grow the economy.’

Professor Dame Angela McLean | Wikimedia Commons

New Delhi: Britain has appointed its first woman chief scientific adviser, Professor Dame Angela McLean.

Currently, McLean is the chief scientific adviser in Britain’s ministry of defence. An expert on the spread of infectious diseases at Oxford University, McLean was deputy to outgoing government chief scientific officer (GCSA) Sir Patrick Vallance.

She played a critical role in the country’s emergency strategy during the Covid pandemic, according to the BBC.

Prime Minister Rishi Sunak, who selected McLean, said her role would be vital in enabling the government to harness science to “improving public services, create jobs, and grow the economy”.

BBC quoted him as saying: “I’m delighted that Dame Angela is taking on this role to advise the government on how we make this happen — building on Sir Patrick’s instrumental work over the past five years, which included helping the country through some of our greatest challenges, from the pandemic to climate change.”

McLean, who takes over on 1 April, said on her appointment: “I am delighted to take on this role at such an important time in our country for science, innovation and technology.”

The Oxford professor has a strong interest in the “use of scientific evidence to form public policy and explaining issues of concern simply and clearly to non-scientific audiences”, the BBC report said.