Professor Guy Poppy, currently Deputy Executive Chair of the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC), has been appointed Interim Executive Chair of the BBSRC and will take up the role on 1 July.
Professor Poppy will also continue in his role as Programme Director of the interdisciplinary UKRI Food Systems Programme alongside his responsibilities at the University of Southampton.
Our Vice-Chancellor Prof. Mark E. Smith congratulated Professor Poppy:
“Guy is a longstanding member of our community, having twice served as Associate Vice President for Interdisciplinary Research at Southampton and prior to this as Head of the School of Biological Sciences. I am very pleased to hear of his appointment as Interim Executive Chair of the BBSRC, which is a reflection of his wealth of expertise and experience in a range of roles including as the Food Standards Agency’s inaugural Chief Scientific Adviser.”
From 1 July, Dr Amanda Collis will take on the role of interim BBSRC Deputy Executive Chair, currently held by Professor Poppy. Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser, Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), said of the appointments:
“I am delighted that UKRI will continue to benefit from Professor Poppy and Dr Collis’s experience and expertise and I look forward to working with them at this exciting time for research and innovation in the UK.”
Professor Poppy will serve as BBSRC Interim Executive Chair until the appointment of a permanent replacement, for which an open recruitment campaign is underway.
