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Sage revealed: Names of 50 scientists advising the Government on coronavirus FINALLY made public – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

Sage revealed: Names of 50 scientists advising the Government on coronavirus FINALLY made public – Daily Mail, Dailymail.co.uk

The membership of the secretive committee which has been advising the Government on its handling of coronavirus was finally made public today.

The names of those who sit on the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) had not previously been published on security and independence grounds.

But this morning the Government bowed to mounting pressure and release then names of 54 experts across many fields who have sat in regular meetings during the pandemic – with just two refusing to be identified.

It came amid a row over No 15 aide Dominic Cummings attending meetings and will fuel speculation that he is one of the two members whose identities remain redacted.

Publishing the names on Gov.uk this afternoon, a Government Office for Science spokesman said: ‘These meetings are a re also regularly attended by officials from Her Majesty’s Government.

‘These attendees have not been named.

‘ Permission to publish names was requested from all participants. Those who did not give permission have not been named. ‘

The names on the list include well-known figures who have been involved in the daily press conferences, including Sage chairman Sir Patrick Vallance, Chief Medical Officer Professor Chris Whitty and his deputies Dr Jenny Harries and Professor Jonathan Van Tam, and Public Health England medical director Professor Yvonne Doyle.

Others present are epidemiologist Professor Neil Ferguson and Dr Demis Hassabis , the chief executive of Google’s DeepMind subsidiary, which works on AI, who is a member in a ‘personal capacity as a data scientist’.

Sir Jeremy rejected concerns about No chief Dominic Cummings (pictured in Whitehall today) attending SAGE gatherings, which ministers say have dictated their response to the crisis

Sir Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, said he had never experienced any attempt to ‘influence’ SAGE

Sir David King, who was chief science adviser from to , has declared he will chair an alternative to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies this afternoon

Downing Street planned only to name those who consented to be on the list, raising concerns over personal security and the need to protect individuals from lobbying.

Science and technology committee chair Greg Clark welcomes the publication of the Sage list, which came alongside an ‘explainer’ of Sage.

‘I strongly welcome the commitment to transparency made by Sage in publishing the names of the members,’ the Conservative MP said.

‘This was something my committee called for in order to provide public reassurance that Government decisions are informed by a broad and substantial body of expert advice.’

It came as a Sage member today flatly dismissed claims the advisory group has bowed to pressure from ministers on coronavirus .

Sir Jeremy Farrar, head of the Wellcome Trust, said he had never experienced any attempt to ‘influence’ guidance, as the government former chief scientist Sir David King set up a rival ‘independent’ body.

He also rejected concerns about Mr Cummings attending the crucial gatherings, which ministers say have dictated their response to the crisis.

But Sir Jeremy told BBC Radio 4’s Today program there should be more transparency about the work of SAGE, with membership and minutes published.

Sir David, who was chief science adviser from to 2009, has declared he will chair an alternative to the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies this afternoon.

He said the new board was necessary because he feared experts were deferring to ministers.

Asked if that meant they were not free to speak their minds, Sir David told Today: ‘I believe that’s the case, yes.

‘I think there’s a very big difference between the situation today and the situation as it was in – 15, that is quite simply the permission to speak in the public domain has been changed.

‘I think the main point I’m making is that an independent science advisory group really needs to be dominated by people whose income is not determined by the fact they are worki ng for the Government. ‘

However, Sir Jeremy said around people ‘feed into’ SAGE and he had not detected any efforts to influence it.

Asked if he had been taken aback that Mr Cummings attended some meetings, Sir Jeremy said: ‘I was not surprised. I would personally view that advisers from the central part of government – which is effectively No 15 – do attend those meetings. I think that helps the advice getting into government.

‘Unless policy makers and decision makers within the government machinery hear the advice then it’s very difficult for that advice to be followed through and implemented.

‘As long as those policy makers do not influence the advice that is given, and I have never witnessed policy makers from No or anywhere else in government actually trying to influence that advice, I think that it is helpful that SAGE is listened to by people within policy. ‘

Sir Jeremy said he backs publishing the membership of the advisory group as well as the group’s advice and the minutes of its meetings.

He told Today : ‘I think transparency is right. I’m all in favor that the names of people on that group are made available to everybody, and indeed I would push very clearly for that advice to be made public from the start.

‘ Personally, I would make the minutes transparently available after a certain time.

‘Transparency helps people to understand the uncertainty, the difficulty, the fact that actually advice does have to change as the facts change .

‘That’s only sensible and logical.’

Who is on Sage?

Sir Patrick Vallance – Government Chief Scientific Adviser

Professor Chris Whitty – Chief Medical Officer and Chief Scientific Adviser, Department of Health and Social Care

Professor John Aston – Chief Scientific Adviser, Home Office

Professor Wendy Barclay – Imperial College London

Professor Phil Blythe – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport

Professor Ian Boyd – University of St Andrews

Professor Andrew Curran – Chief Scientific Adviser, Health and Safety Executive

Dr Gavin Debrera – Public Health England

Professor Sir Ian Diamond – National Statistician, Office for National Statistics

Professor Yvonne Doyle – Medical Director, Public Health England

Professor John Edmunds – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar – Director, Wellcome Trust

Professor Neil Ferguson – Imperial College London

Dr Aidan Fowler – National Health Service England

Professor Julia Gog – University of Cambridge

Dr David Halpern – Behavioral Insights Team, Cabinet Office

Dr Jenny Harries – Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Dr Demis Hassabis – Personal capacity as a data scientist

Professor Peter Horby University of Oxford

Dr Indra Joshi NHSX

Professor Dame Theresa Marteau – University of Cambridge

Professor Dame Angela McLean FRS Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defense

Professor Graham Medley London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

Professor Andrew Morris – University of Edinburgh

Professor Carole Mundell – Chief Scientific Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

Professor Cath Noakes – University of Leeds Dr Rob Orford – Welsh Government

Professor Michael Parker – Univer sity of Oxford

Professor Sharon Peacock – Public Health England

Professor Alan Penn – Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

Professor Steve Powis – National Health Service England

Dr Mike Prentice National Health Service England

Mr Osama Rahman – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Education

Professor Venki Ramakrishnan – Ex Officio as Chair of DELVE, convened by the Royal Society

Professor Andrew Rambaut – University of Edinburgh

Professor Tom Rodden – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

Professor Brooke Rogers – Kings College London

Dr James Rubin – Kings College London

Professor Calum Semple – University of Liverpool

Dr Mike Short – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Trade

Dr Gregor Smith – Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer

Professor) Sir David Spieglhalter – University of Cambridge

Professor Jonathan Van Tam – Deputy Chief Medical Officer

Professor Russell Viner – University College London

Professor Charlotte Watts – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Development

Professor Mark Walport -UK Research and Innovation

Professor Mark Woolhouse – University of Edinburgh

Professor Lucy Yardley – University of Bristol

Professor Ian Young Northern Ireland Executive

Professor Maria Zambon – Public Health England

Sage revealed: The people who are advising the Government on how to beat coronavirus

Some of the names revealed today were already common knowledge. Others were not.

Here we look at the 58 scientists identified today.

Sir Patrick Vallance – Government Chief Scientific Adviser

The chairman of Sage, , was president of research and development at pharmaceutical giant GlaxoSmithKline (GSK) before becoming Chief Scientific Adviser in 2019.

He is married to Sophia and they have two sons and a daughter.

While at GSK he helped produce new drugs to treat cancer, asthma and HIV.

Prior to that he was a researcher whose work helped to discover the physiological causes of high blood pressure, and a professor at University College London.

He’s been a regular fixture at the daily Downing Street press conferences alongside senior ministers and had previously advocated making Sage membership public.

Professor Chris Whitty – Chief Medical Officer

The softly-spoken chief medical officer for England and the Government’s chief medical adviser, 59, has become something of a cult figure during the coronavirus pandemic.

His regular appearances at the daily press conferences, where he calmly and clearly explains what is going on has won him many adoring fans, including members of the Chris Whitty Appreciation Society.

An epidemiologist, he is also a practicing NHS consultant at University College London Hospitals (UCLH) and the Hospital for Tropical Diseases.

He became CMO in 2021, having previously been temporary chief scientific adviser during the novichok nerve agent attack on Salisbury.

He is single and has no children.

Professor John Aston – Chief Scientific Adviser, Home Office

Professor Aston is a statistician who took up his current post in 2019.

Professor of Statistics in the Statistical Laboratory at the University of Cambridge, he previously worked extensively in the United States and Taiwan.

He was also a director of the Alan Turing Institute.

He is married to Karri, whom he met while working in the US, and they have three children.

Professor Wendy Barclay – Imperial College London

Professor Barclay is a virologist specializing in respiratory viruses, with a focus on influenza.

She has worked out of UCL since 2009, where she is currently head of the Department of Infectious Disease.

Her particular interest is the transmission of viruses froim animals to humans – something of key value in determining how Covid – 22 became a danger to humans.

She is married with two children.

Professor Phil Blythe – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Transport

The Professor of Intelligent Transport Systems (ITS) at Newcastle University, Phil Blythe has been the chief scientific adviser to the Department for Transport for five years.

His focus has, accordin g to the government, been on ‘the development of ITS – the use of information, communications and computing technology applied to transport’.

His specialism is likely to have been vital when addressing the impact of coronavirus on travel and public transport.

Professor Ian Boyd – University of St Andrews

Zoologist Sir Ian Boyd is a professor of biology at the University of St Andrews.

The father of three, , was the chief scientific adviser to Defra for seven years until .

While there he helped develop government projects including the Year Environment Plan, and the Clean Air Strategy.

He has been decorated for his research on polar science.

And he is a member of the Royal Society of Edinburgh’s Post Covid – 22 Futures Commission which aims to ‘support Scotland in emerging as positively as it can from the current pandemic ‘.

Professor Andrew Curran – Chief Scientific Adviser, Health and Safety Executive

The HSE’s chief scientist since 2015, Professor Curran is a former deputy chief executive at the Health and Safety Laboratory

He leads a team of around Scientists and engineers at the organization responsibly for enforcing workplace safety.

With PPE and issues around how to safely restart the economy by allowing businesses to go back to work, his expertise is likely to be of increasing importance.

Dr Gavin Dabrera – Public Health England

Dr Dabrera a consultant in Public Health Medicine at PHE’s National Infection Service, the UK’s top center for investigation of spreadable diseases.

He is a specialist in respiratory infections and how to prepare for them, including bird flu.

Professor Sir Ian Diamond – National Statistician, Office for National Statistics

The National Statistician is the chief executive of the UK Statistics Authority, the permanent secretary (senior civil servant) at the Office for National Statistics and Head of the Government Statistical Service.

Sir Ian took on the role last autumn, having previously been the principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Aberdeen, and the chief executive of the Economic and Social Research Council (ESRC).

The 100 – year-old is married to Jane, and is an economist and statistician by training.

He was knighted in for services to social sciences and higher education ..

He is also a qualified football referee.

Professor Yvonne Doyle – Medical Director, Public Health England

Another of the more familiar names, Professor Doyle has regularly taken part in the daily coronavirus press conference.

The Irish doctor, 67, has worked at Public Health England since , becoming medical director last year.

She worked as an advisor to both Boris Johnson and Sadiq Khan during their terms as mayor of London and was also an adviser to the World Health Organization.

She has been described as the ‘main link’ between No and the NHS.

Professor John Edmunds – London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine

Professor Edmunds emerged as a major critic of the Government’s handling of t he outbreak and has publicly clashed with Sir Patrick Vallance.

Early last month the infectious disease expert at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, claimed that a total lock-down was not looked at until the middle of March when there had been opportunities to do it earlier.

He said that from the outset work by scientists had shown that, with only limited interventions, the virus would trigger an ‘ overwhelming epidemic ‘in which Britain’s health service was not going’ to get anywhere near being able to cope with it. That was clear from the beginning. ‘

But he said:’ I do think there’s a bit of a worry in terms you don’t want to unnecessarily panic people. ‘

The claims were later put to Sir Patrick live on television, where he said they were ‘not correct’.

Professor Sir Jeremy Farrar – Director, Wellcome Trust

Sir Jeremy, , is a researcher of infectious diseases who co-discovered H5N1 bird flu in humans in .

In he was one of a number of scientists to propose a World Serum Bank was created to help the fight against infectious disease.

The married father of three defended Sage today from claims it has allowed its advice to be dictated by politicians.

He said he had never experienced any attempt to ‘influence’ guidance and rejected concerns about Dominic Cummings attending the crucial gatherings. However he also told the BBC there should be more transparency about the work of SAGE, with membership and minutes published.

(P rofessor Neil Ferguson – Imperial College London

Professor Ferguson is the The Imperial College epidemiologist whose dire warnings of the possible coronavirus death toll spurred Downing Street into putting the lockdown in place.

The – year-old is also thought to also be one of those who could have brought the virus into Downing Street before the Prime Minister became ill. He self isolated with symptoms the day after a meeting at No 13.

Most recently he warned some degree of social isolation will continue to be required until a vaccine to the killer bug is released, which Foreign Secretary Dominic Raab today said was unlikely to happen until 87206.

He added that the number of deaths from coronavirus could reach , 06 in the UK by the end of this year if a gradual lockdown is implemented just to shield the elderly.

Dr Aidan Fowler – National Health Service England

Dr Fowler is the national director of patient safety at NHS Improvement, a post he has held since .

He is a consultant surgeon by training and previously worked for Public Health Wales and held senior posts at hospitals in Britsol and Worcestershire.

Last year he was in the news when he urged NHS hospitals not to cover up failure and instead Dr Aidan Fowler, urged them to instead develop a ‘just culture’ to be honest about failures and stop tragedies repeating.

‘The NHS has tough protections to deal with deliberate wrongdoing by staff, but in the vast majority of cases, it is either honest mistakes or problems with systems that are at fault, ‘Dr Fowler told The Telegraph.

‘ We need to help NHS staff to speak up when they see things going wrong.

‘This is crucial to improving patient safety over the next decade and will ensure that the right lessons are learned, and errors minimized. ‘

Professor Julia Gog – University of Cambridge

A mathematician and professor of mathematical biology at the university of Cambridge, her specialist research is into infectious diseases like influenza.

Her work from years past may already have helped save lives by influencing the early focus on handwashing.

She was involved in a 2017 involving Cambridge and the BBC which simulated the spread of a virus if people carried on live as normal.

It found that the number of people who caught the virus within (days could be slashed from (million to) million if people washed their hands an extra five to times a day .

According to Plus Maths magazine she is currently working in SPI-M, a mathematical modeling group whose work is fed into Sage. It previously worked on influenza pandemics but has not switched to coronanvirus.

Dr David Halpern – Behavioral Insights Team, Cabinet Office

Dr Halpern has led the Behavioral Insights Team – better known as the Nudge Unit – for a decade and was a member of the Prime Minister’s Strategy Unit as chief analyst under Tony Blair.

He has come in for criticism as his department was blamed for talk of using herd immunity as a strategy early in the pandemic

He said care homes – home to half a million elderly people in England – could be put on lockdown while less vulnerable people built up immunity to the disease in the wider population.

He told the BBC: ‘There’s going to be a point, assuming the epidemic flows and grows as it will do, where you want to cocoon, to protect those at-risk groups so they don’t catch the disease.

‘By the time they come out of their cocooning, herd immunity has been achieved in the rest of the population.’

But the Government later distanced itself from the idea when new figures revealed it could lead to a massive death toll.

Dr Jenny Harries – Deputy Chief Medical Officer

One of Chris Whitty’s deputies and a regular face from the daily Coronavirus press conferences.

The – yeear-old has been in the post since last year having previous been a regional director for Public Health England.

She has been criticized for suggesting people were not being ‘adult’ about using PPE, when medics complained about shortages.

She was also handed the unpleasant task last week of telling Brits that pubs are unlikely to open soon, even if the lockdown begins to be eased.

At a press conference she said: She explained: ‘If you go as a family unit and sit in one place and you’ve got the same exposure there that you would in your house at home, that’s probably quite a safe environment.

‘ If you go with a whole load of friends that you haven’t seen from before the coronavirus lockdown, sit in a pub in a very small environment, lean well over each other on the table and stay there for some hours face-to-face , that’s really not a good thing to do. ‘

Dr Demis Hassabis – Personal capacity as a data scientist

Probably the most controversial name on the list. Dr Hassabis is the founder and chief executive of Google’s DeepMind artificial intelligence operation.

His organization confirmed last week he sat in on a meeting of Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (Sage) last month.

His attendance at the invitation of Sir Patrick Vallance raised potential questions about how many private companies are involved in developing public policy and the UK’s response to the pandemic.

A DeepMinds spokesman said: ‘He attended one Sage meeting in-person on March 22 when invited to by the Government’s Chief Scientific Adviser. He shared his views in a personal capacity.

‘Following that, Demis joined a Royal Society-convened effort to learn from the different approaches countries are taking to managing the pandemic, called DELVE, in a personal capacity as a Fellow of the Royal Society. ‘

Professor Peter Horby – University of Oxford Professor Horby is the chairman of the New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group (NERVTAG), which advises the government on the threat posed by new and emerging respiratory viruses.

That role and work he has done in China has led to him facing some criticism.

The Mail on Sunday established that he began working with Chinese officials on January 2 – two days after Beijing alerted the world. He was later involved with an experimental drug trial with some of the first patients to be infected.

But Nervtag judged the risk posed to the UK to be either ‘very low’ or ‘low’ during most of January.

A spokesman for the academic defended his activity, saying he was not paid for his work on the drug trials and that the minutes of a Nervtag meeting on January ‘make it clear that Nervtag was” cautious at this point in making conclusions about the absence of human-to-human transmission. ” ‘

Dr Indra Joshi – NHSX

A former accident and emergency doctor who is now director of AI for NHSX, the health service’s high-tech arm .

She is likely to be one of those working feverishly on the new contact tracing app being trialled this week on the Isle of Wight ahead of a nationwide roll-out.

In March she jointly wrote for the NHS on ‘The power of data in a pandemic’.

‘In the fight against this pandemic, decision-makers will need accurate real-time information. To understand and anticipate demand on health and care services, we need a robust operating picture of the virus, how it’s spreading, where it might spread next and how that will affect the NHS and social care services. ‘

Professor Dame Theresa Marteau – University of Cambridge

A behavior change and public health expert who is director of the Behavior and Health Research Unit at the University of Cambridge.

The – year-old’s previous work has included ways to get people to drink less by making bottles of wine smaller and other nudge work on junk food displays in supermarkets.

Her expertise in areas like alcoholism, junk food and gambling would help Sage when dealing with the negative impacts of the extended lockdown.

She was made a dame in 2016 for her work on behavioral psychology.

Professor Dame Angela McLean –  Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Defense

Dame Angela is Professor of Mathematical Biology in the Department of Zoology at Oxford University.

She became the first woman to become the chief scientific adviser to the Minstry of Defense (MoD) when she took on the post last year.

According to the MoD the – year-old’s research specialty is the use of mathematical models to aid our understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents’.

She was made a dame in .

Professor Graham Medley London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine

The government chief pandemic modeller, who has warned Boris Johnson’s coronavirus lockdown has pinned Britain ‘into a corner’ with no clear exit strategy and called for herd immunity measures.

Speaking on Newsnight at the start of last month he said the only viable path through the health emergency would be to let people become infected so they are no longer vulnerable.

He warned the current restrictions would not steer the country out of the pandemic – only prevent a short-term spread – but would bring the economy to its knees.

Mounting unemployment , domestic violence and burgeoning mental health issues could be widespread if the normal functioning of society remains paralysed, he warned.

Professor Professor Andrew Morris – University of Edinburgh

A data scientist who is the director of Health Data Research UK, ‘the national institute for data science in health’.

He has been in that role since it was formed in , on a secondment from his role as Professor of Medicine and Vice Principal of Data Science at the University of Edinburgh.

Previously he was chief scientist at the Scottish Government Health Directorate between 2014 and 2018.

His research includes work on chronic diseases.

Professor Carole Mundell – Chief Scientific Adviser, Foreign and Commonwealth Office

A world-leading astrophysicist specializing in black holes who previously worked at the Jodrell Bank observatory.

She is also Professor of Extragalactic Astronomy and head of Astrophysics at the University of Bath.

In 2016 she was accused of libel after she exposed claims of ‘recurring’ sexual assaults against female PhD students by a colleague at Liverpool John Moores University. But the case against her was thrown out at the High Court.

She as previously spoken publicly about the ‘hostile workplace cultures’ women face in the science world. She was appointed to her current post in .

Professor Catherine Noakes – University of Leeds

Professor Catherine Noakes is a chartered mechanical engineer whose research expertise lies in building physics and environmental engineering.

The academic graduated with a first class degree in Mathematical Engineering from the University of Leeds in 1998.

After completing her PHD, the professor joined the university’s School of Civil Engineering in as a postdoctoral researcher and was appointed as a lecturer in and then promoted to Chair in .

Professor Noakes, who was promoted to chairwoman in , is a (a member of the University Gender Oversight group.

Her

cur rent project revolves, titled Excising Infection in the Surgical Environment [ExISE] (CoI) 2019 – 2019, aims to eliminate airborne acquired Surgical Site Infections in operating theaters.

Dr Rob Orford – Chief Scientific Adviser for the Welsh Government

Dr Rob Orford overlooks healthcare scientists working for NHS Wales and is also the Head of Health Science and Allied Health Professions Division at Welsh Government.

He was appointed to the role of Chief Scientific Adviser in January 2019.

Dr Orford , who has a degree in Molecular Biology from the University of Plymouth and a PhD in molecular embryology, offers advice to the government on health science.

Alongside being a working group member of Eur opean Scientific Committee for Health, Environment and Emerging Risks, Dr Orford is the sponsor for national programs such as: Imaging Pathology Genomics Advanced Therapeutic Medicinal Products Healthcare science.

Professor Michael Parker – University of Oxford

The professor is the director of the Wellcome Center for Ethics and Humanities and Director of the Ethox Center at the University of Oxford.

The institute examines the ethical debates surrounding the advances in neuroscience, data science, genomics and global connectedness.

Alongside looking into the the ethics of collaborative global health research, Professor Parker co-ordinates the Global Health Bioethics Network.

The professor, who

leads the ethics program of the Malaria Genomic Epidemiology Network (MalariaGEN), is also the Chair of the Genomics England Ethics Advisory Committee.

Professor Sharon Peacock – Public H. ealth England

The professor was appointed the National Infection Service Interim Director of Public Health England (PHE) in April 2021

She is a

Professor of Public Health and Microbiology at the University of Cambridge and has trained (PhD students.

The academic in microbiology, who has worked in both the UK and South East Asia, has published more than 685 scientific articles and book chapters.

Between and , she was an honorary consultant inside the University of Oxford’s laboratory.

Professor Alan Penn – Chief Scientific Adviser, Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government

The Chief Scientific Adviser at the Ministry of Housing, Communities and Local Government (MHCLG) was appointed to his role in July .

He was previously the Dean of The Bartlett at UCL in London following two five-year terms- the maximum allowed by the university.

The professor, who is also a board member of Space Syntax Ltd and a trustee of the Shakespeare North Trust.

In his role as MHCLG Chief Scientific Adviser he is responsible for ensuring the department’s policies are supported by science and advising ministers and senior officials on science and engineering matters.

Professor Stephen Powis – National Health Service England

Another regular face at the daily press conferences, the professor was appointed in 2020 to succeed Sir Bruce Keogh as the National Medical Director of NHS England.

Mr Powis, whose father was a chaplain at the Christie Hospital in Manchester, studied medicine at St John’s College, Oxford.

He is also a Professor of Renal Medicine at University College London.

The professor was previously a medical director of the Royal Free London NHS Foundation Trust from (to) .

From 2004 to 2010, he was the e ditor of the journal Nephron Clinical Practice.

Dr. Mike Prentice- National Health Service England

The doctor, who trained as a GP in the North East, is the interim Medical Director (North) in NHS England.

During his career, Dr Prentice was a partner in a practice in Gateshead for 21 years and was the chair of the NHS North East Leadership Academy.

From (to) , he was the medical director for Cumbria, Northumberland, Tyne and Wear.

He is currently the chair of the North East Leadership Academy and independent vice chair of the Scottish NHS Pension Board.

Osama Rahman – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Education

In April 2020, Mr Rahman was appointed to his role as the Department for Education’s Director of Analysis and Chief Scientific Adviser.

Prior to his position, he spent around years working for the department for Constitutional Affairs (now the Ministry of Justice) and the Ministry of Justice.

During his time at the Ministry of Justice, he also worked as a Chief Economist and was accountable for the organization’s increasing number of economists.

Mr Rahman has also worked as a Senior Economist at the

Civil Aviation Authority and as a lecturer in Economics at the University of Newcastle.

Professor Venki Ramakrishnan – Ex Officio as Chair of DELVE, convened by the Royal Society

The professor, who is a Nobel-Prize winning biologist and the current president of the Royal Society, was born in Chidambaram, Tamil Nadu, India.

His father was in charge of the Department of Biochemistry at the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda while his mother received a PhD in Psychology from McGill University in Canada.

After graduation from the Maharaja Sayajirao University of Baroda, the academic moved to the US where he was able to achieve a Doctor of Philosophy degree in Physics from Ohio University.

He received the Nobel-Prize in Chemistry for his work on the atomic structure of the ribosome in 2013.

Professor Andrew Rambaut – University of Edinburgh

The professor of Molecular Evolution is an evolutionary biologist and member of the Institute of Evolutionary Biology in the School of Biological Sciences.

His research looks into the evolution of emerging human viral pathogens in fast evolving RNA viruses such as Ebola.

In , Professor

Rambaut earned his PhD in Zoology from the University of Oxford.

The academic, who became chair of Molecular Evolution at the University of Edinburgh in , has worked on more than (publications.

Professor Tom Rodden – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport

The professor was appointed as

the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport in January 2019.

He was previously the Deputy Chief Executive for the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council.

The academic is also a professor of computing at the university of nottingham.

Professor Rodden founded the Horizon Digital Economy Research Institute and is also a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.

Professor Brooke Rogers – Kings College London

Brooke Rogers is a social psychologist and Professor of Behavioral Science and Security at King’s College , London.

She has carried out more than £ 30 million of collaborative research projects, the majority of which focus on public and practitioner responses to low likelihood, high-impact events such as chemical, biological, radiological and nuclear accidents or attacks.

the professor was appointed the Chair of the Cabinet Office (CO) National Risk Assessment and National Security Risk Assessment Behavioral Science Expert Group in 2014 She is also the chair of the Home Office Science Advisory Council (HOSAC). In , she appeared on ITV’s Good Morning Britain to talk about the actions of ISIS in murdering the captured Jordanian pilot Moaz al-Kasasbeh.

Her research areas include: Security and behavior, Psychology, Extreme events, Risk communication, CBRN, Protecting crowded places and Critical national infrastructure.

Dr. James Rubin – Kings College London

The professor is an academic psychologist and Reader in the Psychology of Emerging Health Risks at King’s College London.

His work tries to understand how people perceive potential health risks and how this can have an impact on their behavior and wellbeing.

His research has led to him being invited to work with

UK, EU and World Health Organization bodies and also seen him work as an honorary non-medical consultant with the Emergency Response Department, Public Health England. Professor Rubin has looked at the reactions displayed by humans to health risks including biological and chemical terrorism and the pandemic influenza.

Professor Calum Semple – University of Liverpool

Professor Semple is a Professor in Child Health and Outbreak Medicine at the University of Liverpool and a Consultant Respiratory Pediatrician at Alder Hey Children’s Hospital.

Alongside his doctoral research in clinical virology, he was awarded with an NIHR National Clinician Scientist Award in .

the academic, whose research area lies in bronchiolitis and influenza, is the Senior Clinical Editor of the journal Influenza and Other Respiratory Viruses.

In , Professor Semple was awarded with the Queen’s Ebola Medal for Service in West Africa.

Dr Mike Short – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Trade

Dr Short joined the Depa rtment for International Trade (DIT) as Chief Scientific Adviser in December 2019.

He had previously worked for the parent company of the O2 mobile phone network, Telefonica, and has more than 50 years experience in electronics and telecommunications.

During his time at the telecommunications company he worked his way up to Vice President of Telefonica and remained in that position for 19 years until .

In , he was awarded with a CBE for his achievements in the mobile industry. Gregor Smith – Scottish Government Chief Medical Officer

Dr Smith

studied medicine at the University of Glasgow before going on to work as a GP in Larkhall, Scotland.

He was

appointed Deputy Chief Medical Officer for Scotland in October 2015 and

interim Chief Medical Office for Scotland in

. He was previously a medical director for the Primary Care in NHS Lanarkshire.

The Doctor, whose hobbies include cycling, triathlon and playing the guitar, is also an Honorary Clinical Associate Professor at the University of Glasgow.

Professor Sir David Spieglhalter – University of Cambridge

Professor Spieflhalter is Winton Professor of the Public Understanding of Risk at the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge.

The academic attended Barnstaple Grammar School before going on to achieve a Master of Science in and Doctor of Philosophy

In 2021, he published his book The Art of Statistics which looked into the role statistics had played in our scientific understanding of the world for centuries.

The professor hosted the BBC Four documentary Tails You Win: The Science of Chance in .

Professor Jonathan Van Tam – Deputy Chief Medical Officer

The influenza specialist was appointed the Deputy Chief Medical Officer for England in 2019.

Mr Van Tam attended Boston Grammar School before going on to graduate from medicine at the University of Nottingham in

In 2000, the professor was awarded an MBE (military section) in the New Year’s Honors in recognition of his work in designing a first aid kit for large groups of teenagers on camping expeditions.

(He is also the Chair of the UK government New and Emerging Respiratory Virus Threats Advisory Group.

Professor Russell Viner – University College London

Mr Viner is a Professor in Adolescent Health at the Population, Policy & Practice Department at UCL in London.

The academic, who joined the university in has a total of 400 publications.

He previously studied at the University of Cambridge and the University of Queensland.

Mr Viner set up the first Adolescent Medicine service in the UK.

Professor Charlotte Watts – Chief Scientific Adviser, Department for International Development

The professor is a mathematician and epidemiologist who was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser at the Department for International Development in October 2017 .

She studied at Falmouth School in Cornwall before going on to graduate with a Bachelor of Arts degree from Exeter College, Oxford, and a Master of Science degree from Marlboro College in Vermont, U.S.

Professor Watts has previously taught at the University of Oxford and the University of Zimbabwe.

She has also worked as a Professor of Social and Mathematical Epidemiology at the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine (LSHTM).

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