The Natural Environment Research Council (NERC) has appointed four new members to its Science Committee.
The appointees, who will serve in an independent capacity, are: Professor Stefan Reis, Science Area Head for Atmospheric Chemistry and Effects at the UK Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (UKCEH); Professor Nicola Beaumont of Plymouth Marine Laboratory; Professor Jane Hill of the University of York; and Professor Daniel Parsons of the University of Hull.
The Science Committee is the main source of advice on scientific matters for NERC Council, the organisation’s decision-making body. The committee’s responsibilities include:
- developing NERC’s integrated science strategy
- advising on the balance of the science portfolio
- advising on the strategic priority of funding new programmes and initiatives
The Science Committee comprises a non-executive chair and 12 others. Appointments – which are staggered to maintain continuity of knowledge – are normally for a two-year period with the possibility of a two-year extension. The four new members replace those who completed their terms at the end of 2020.
NERC, part of UK Research and Innovation, is the UK’s leading public funder of environmental science. It works with research centres, higher education institutions, governments, businesses and civil society to shape the direction of research and innovation, and provides the training, skills and infrastructure that the UK needs to remain at the forefront of environmental science.