It’s a role that has been held exclusively by men — until now. This week Dame Angela McLean, a professor of mathematical biology at the University of Oxford, was appointed as the UK’s chief scientific advisor.
McLean said she was “delighted to take on this role at such an important time in our country for science, innovation and technology.”
Meanwhile, Oxford’s friendly rival, the University of Cambridge, appointed its youngest ever black professor. Jason Arday, 37, is a scholar of race, inequality and education. He could not read or write until he was 18.
“My work focuses primarily on how we can open doors to more people from disadvantaged backgrounds and truly democratise higher education,” he said. “Hopefully being in a place like Cambridge will provide me with the leverage to lead that agenda nationally and globally.”
Image: The University of Oxford/The University of Cambridge
