The UK Department of Energy and Climate Change (DECC) has appointed David Mackay, Professor of Natural Philosophy at the Department of Physics, as its Chief Scientific Advisor.
 

The Chief Scientific Advisor’s role is to ensure that the Department’s policies and operations, and its contributions to wider Government issues, are underpinned by the best science and engineering advice available.

Professor MacKay is the author of the critically acclaimed book, "Sustainable Energy - without the hot air", which sets out the various low-carbon energy options open to society. He has also made many contributions through his physics research, including using his expertise in information theory to design a widely-used interface called "dasher" that allows disabled people to write efficiently using a single finger or head-mounted pointer.

Professor MacKay said: “Climate change and secure energy are two of the most urgent issues facing the UK and the global community. The solutions must be rooted firmly in the science and I look forward to advising the Government on how it can help deliver these important goals.”

Secretary of State Ed Miliband said: “David MacKay is known for making science accessible and helping to explain clearly the urgency and the challenges of moving to a low carbon economy. I want him to bring all of these qualities to the job of advising DECC on how we can meet Britain’s carbon targets and energy security needs.”

Professor MacKay is a Fellow of Darwin College and has taught physics in Cambridge since 1995. Since 2005, he has devoted increasing amounts of time to public teaching about energy. David MacKay is a Fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the World Economic Forum Global Agenda Council on Climate Change.

 

This work is licensed under a Creative Commons Licence. If you use this content on your site please link back to this page.