Science & Engineering

Patent-winning polymath Phillippa Spencer lands double win at UK celebration

Sir Ian Boyd gives warning days before his departure as Defra chief scientist

Former civil servant Steve O'Neil takes a fresh look at the appliance of science at the heart of government

Henderson will succeed Sir Ian Boyd in October

Appointment comes more than a year after communities department advertised for a chief scientific adviser

McLean was awarded damehood for services to mathematical biology and advice to government

MP says ongoing vacancy exposed in wake of Grenfell tragedy is "astounding" a year after search began

Patrick Vallance says new Whitehall role is ‘like being 13 again and being interested in science’

An explosives expert and the first woman to lead the Met Office, Penelope Endersby’s arrival at the much-loved weather service was a breath of fresh air. She tells Beckie Smith about being a mentor, climate change, and stepping out of the shadows

Department offers £120k a year for leader tasked with ensuring science and evidence stay "at the heart" of its post-Brexit operations

Vallance also announced he had appointed a chief scientific adviser to the Department for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport.

Chief scientific advisers provide vital expertise to help departments make informed policy decisions – not least during national emergencies. But to be effective, they must also be experts in the workings of Whitehall. Beckie Smith spoke to CSAs past and present to discover how they combine these distinctive skills.