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Institute welcomes appointment of Anne Ferguson-Smith as BBSRC Executive Chair

Key points:

• The Institute welcomes the appointment of Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith FRS as BBSRC Executive Chair.
• Professor Ferguson-Smith will take up the post on 1st July 2024, replacing BBSRC’s interim Executive Chair Professor Guy Poppy. 
• Professor Ferguson-Smith is a highly respected developmental geneticist and epigeneticist specialising in mammalian functional genomics and epigenetics at the University of Cambridge. 
• She is a former Trustee of the Institute, being a member of the Board of Trustees from 2015 to 2020, and long-standing research collaborator.

Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith FRS has been announced as the new BBSRC Executive Chair and will take up the post from 1st July 2024. 

Professor Ferguson-Smith is a highly respected developmental geneticist and epigeneticist specialising in mammalian functional genomics and epigenetics.

Her current research applies experimental, computational and bioinformatics approaches to contemporary questions in mammalian functional genomics and epigenetics with particular relevance for how genetic and environmental influences affect development and health. She is a long-standing collaborator with groups from the Institute’s Epigenetics research programme and was a Trustee of the Institute from 2015-2020.

Dr Simon Cook, Institute Director, commented: “On behalf of the Institute I am delighted to hear the news and congratulate Anne on her appointment. Anne is a remarkable and visionary scientist with a stellar track record in the field of epigenetics and developmental biology and also in her leadership of science. I look forward to working with her in support of the BBSRC and the Institute.”

Professor Ferguson-Smith is currently Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research and International Partnerships, and Arthur Balfour Professor of Genetics, at the University of Cambridge. She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) earlier this year for services to medical research.

In the , Professor Ferguson-Smith said: “It’s a privilege to be chosen for such an important role, and to be able to champion BBSRC’s research strategy in alignment with national and global challenges.

I’ve been supported by, and worked within, the BBSRC ecosystem for a number of years now in a range of contexts, so I’m delighted I will be leading a connected and effective community with such a strong legacy created by the previous Executive Chair.

I’m looking forward to working within UKRI to support talent development and end-to-end impactful research, from discovery to application.

I will be connecting with ministers and other partners to drive an ambitious national agenda in research and innovation.”

Professor Dame Linda Partridge, Chair of the Institute’s Board of Trustees, also welcomed the appointment saying: “This is great news for the UK’s bioscience community. Anne is not only a research pioneer but also an influential and inspiring leader. I wish Anne all the best as she prepares to takes the helm in the summer.”

Notes 

UKRI announcement, 19th December 2023:

Press contact - UKRI press team: press@ukri.org

Image description: Professor Anne Ferguson-Smith