March 18, 2015

expert reaction to the appointment of Prof Venki Ramakrishnan as the next President of the Royal Society

It has been announced that Professor Venki Ramakrishnan will be the next president of the Royal Society. Based at the University of Cambridge, Prof. Ramakrishnan won a Nobel Prize in 2009 for his work on ribosomes.

Prof. Sir Hugh Pelham, Director of the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology, said:

“I am delighted that Venki will take on this very important role. He is a scientist of the highest calibre and integrity, and will provide a strong voice for the research community.”

Prof. Sir John Tooke, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences, said:

“I am delighted to hear that the next President of the Royal Society will be Professor Venki Ramakrishnan. He has made an outstanding contribution to science, but what stands out is his hard work and drive, the value he places on his collaborators, and his friendships with scientists throughout the world. I am sure he will build on the fantastic work carried out by Sir Paul Nurse over the past five years. The UK’s National Academies have always worked closely together, and I look forward to future collaborations during his presidency.”

Imran Khan, Chief Executive of the British Science Association, said:

“The British Science Association warmly congratulates Sir Venki Ramakrishnan on his election. The President of the Royal Society often acts as a bridge between science and the rest of society, and someone with Venki’s credentials is in a great position to step into that role.

“The UK also needs someone who can reflect the needs of society and the public back to the scientific establishment; we hope that he can continue in the tradition of people like Lord Rees and Sir Paul Nurse of being a provocateur as well as an ambassador.”

Naomi Weir, Acting Director of the Campaign for Science & Engineering, said:

“As President of the Royal Society, Prof Ramakrishnan will be a wonderful ambassador for science, in a position to champion the successes and raise the issues facing the sector with the next government. The science community has great stories to tell about ground-breaking, problem-solving, inspiring science, and Prof Ramakrishnan’s research has contributed to that. I look forward to working with him to ensure the next generation of scientists from the UK, and around the world, can do great science in the UK.”

Prof. Anne Glover CBE, Richard von Weizsäcker Fellow at the Robert Bosch Academy in Berlin and former Chief Scientific Adviser to the President of the European Commission, said:

“Prof Ramakrishnan is an outstanding scientist and I look forward to him devoting the same leadership and determination that he has for research to the Royal Society, in further developing its role as a respected and trusted voice of science for Government and civil society.

“I hope he also has a strong appetite for attracting and retaining women in science, without which we will lose our competitiveness in the UK.”

Prof. Matthew Freeman FRS, Head of the Dunn School of Pathology at the University of Oxford, said:

“Venki will be outstanding. A biologist with a physics degree and a Nobel Prize in chemistry. Also a passion for basic science, which is crucial given the political climate.  It’s great news.”