Roy Anderson (zoologist)
Encyclopedia
Sir Roy Malcolm Anderson FRS
(born 12 April 1947) is a leading British
expert on epidemiology
. He has mathematically modelled the spread of diseases such as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
and AIDS
. He also currently chairs the science advisory board of WHO
's Neglected Tropical Diseases programme, is a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenges advisory board, and chairs the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative advisory board (SCI) funded by the Gates Foundation. He is a non-executive director of GlaxoSmithKline
.
. He gained a BSc
degree in zoology
at Imperial College and a PhD
degree in parasitology
in 1971 with thesis titled A quantitative ecological study of the helminth parasites of the bream Abramis brama (L). Most of Anderson's early career was at Imperial College, becoming Professor of Parasite Ecology in 1982. He was head of the Department of Biology from 1984 to 1993. At Imperial College, he served as Director of the Wellcome Centre for Parasite Infections from 1989 to 1993.
where he was head of the Zoology department and held the Linacre Chair of Zoology
until 2000. During this time he served as Director of the Wellcome Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease.
He left the University of Oxford after a unanimous vote of no confidence in him by the Department of Zoology. This also prompted his resignation in May 2000, from the Wellcome Trust
where he had been a Trustee (then a Governor) for nearly ten years.
He is the author of over 450 scientific articles and has sat on numerous government and international agency committees advising on public health and disease control including the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. From 1991–2000, he was a Governor of the Wellcome Trust
.
to the UK Ministry of Defence
from October 2004 to September 2007. After that, he returned to his Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
at Imperial College London
.
on 1 July 2008. In this role he expressed a desire to raise tuition fees and privatise
top UK universitites within 10–20 years. He tendered his resignation in November 2009 stating “I have decided to step down as rector as I want to return to my primary concern, which is my deep and abiding research interest into global health.”
's Today programme
about the 2009 swine flu outbreak on 1 May 2009 and said "the pandemic
has started." Anderson is a temporary member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, a group set up to give scientific advice to the British government over health issues relating to swine flu. He faced calls to resign over a conflict of interest as an adviser to the government and as a member of GlaxoSmithKline
's board, though a spokesperson from Imperial College noted Anderson was 'not a member of the drug or vaccine sub committees of the flu advisory group.'
in 1986, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
in 2004. He was knighted in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
, natural history
and photography
.
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
(born 12 April 1947) is a leading British
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
expert on epidemiology
Epidemiology
Epidemiology is the study of health-event, health-characteristic, or health-determinant patterns in a population. It is the cornerstone method of public health research, and helps inform policy decisions and evidence-based medicine by identifying risk factors for disease and targets for preventive...
. He has mathematically modelled the spread of diseases such as new variant Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt-Jakob disease
Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease or CJD is a degenerative neurological disorder that is incurable and invariably fatal. CJD is at times called a human form of mad cow disease, given that bovine spongiform encephalopathy is believed to be the cause of variant Creutzfeldt–Jakob disease in humans.CJD...
and AIDS
AIDS
Acquired immune deficiency syndrome or acquired immunodeficiency syndrome is a disease of the human immune system caused by the human immunodeficiency virus...
. He also currently chairs the science advisory board of WHO
World Health Organization
The World Health Organization is a specialized agency of the United Nations that acts as a coordinating authority on international public health. Established on 7 April 1948, with headquarters in Geneva, Switzerland, the agency inherited the mandate and resources of its predecessor, the Health...
's Neglected Tropical Diseases programme, is a member of the Bill and Melinda Gates Grand Challenges advisory board, and chairs the Schistosomiasis Control Initiative advisory board (SCI) funded by the Gates Foundation. He is a non-executive director of GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
.
Education and early life
Anderson was born the son of James Anderson and Betty Watson-Weatherborn. He attended Duncombe School, Bengeo and Richard Hale SchoolRichard Hale School
Richard Hale School is a boys' school located in Hertford, Hertfordshire, in the south east of England. In the 2007 – 2008 academic year the school had over 1,000 pupils, including students attending the optional sixth form, which is also open to girls....
. He gained a BSc
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science is an undergraduate academic degree awarded for completed courses that generally last three to five years .-Australia:In Australia, the BSc is a 3 year degree, offered from 1st year on...
degree in zoology
Zoology
Zoology |zoölogy]]), is the branch of biology that relates to the animal kingdom, including the structure, embryology, evolution, classification, habits, and distribution of all animals, both living and extinct...
at Imperial College and a PhD
Doctor of Philosophy
Doctor of Philosophy, abbreviated as Ph.D., PhD, D.Phil., or DPhil , in English-speaking countries, is a postgraduate academic degree awarded by universities...
degree in parasitology
Parasitology
Parasitology is the study of parasites, their hosts, and the relationship between them. As a biological discipline, the scope of parasitology is not determined by the organism or environment in question, but by their way of life...
in 1971 with thesis titled A quantitative ecological study of the helminth parasites of the bream Abramis brama (L). Most of Anderson's early career was at Imperial College, becoming Professor of Parasite Ecology in 1982. He was head of the Department of Biology from 1984 to 1993. At Imperial College, he served as Director of the Wellcome Centre for Parasite Infections from 1989 to 1993.
Career
In 1993 Anderson moved to the University of OxfordUniversity of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
where he was head of the Zoology department and held the Linacre Chair of Zoology
Linacre Chair of Zoology
The position of Linacre Professor of Zoology in the University of Oxford was founded in 1860, initially as the Linacre Professorship of Physiology and then as the chair of Human and Comparative Anatomy, although its origins can be traced back a further 300 years, to the Linacre Lectureships at...
until 2000. During this time he served as Director of the Wellcome Centre for the Epidemiology of Infectious Disease.
He left the University of Oxford after a unanimous vote of no confidence in him by the Department of Zoology. This also prompted his resignation in May 2000, from the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
where he had been a Trustee (then a Governor) for nearly ten years.
He is the author of over 450 scientific articles and has sat on numerous government and international agency committees advising on public health and disease control including the World Health Organisation and UNAIDS. From 1991–2000, he was a Governor of the Wellcome Trust
Wellcome Trust
The Wellcome Trust was established in 1936 as an independent charity funding research to improve human and animal health. With an endowment of around £13.9 billion, it is the United Kingdom's largest non-governmental source of funds for biomedical research...
.
Foot and mouth
Roy Anderson was one of the most prominent scientists who advised the UK Government on the handling of the Foot and Mouth control policy in 2001, a policy that culminated in the destruction of around six million UK cattle.Chief Scientific Adviser
He was Chief Scientific AdviserMoD Chief Scientific Adviser
The Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK's Ministry of Defence is responsible for providing strategic management of science and technology issues in the MoD, most directly through the MoD research budget of well over £1 billion, and sits as a full member of the Defence Management Board and the...
to the UK Ministry of Defence
Ministry of Defence (United Kingdom)
The Ministry of Defence is the United Kingdom government department responsible for implementation of government defence policy and is the headquarters of the British Armed Forces....
from October 2004 to September 2007. After that, he returned to his Chair in Infectious Disease Epidemiology at the Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology
The Department of Infectious Disease Epidemiology is based at Imperial College London and carries out research including the modelling of infectious diseases and molecular epidemiology of pathogens. It is headed by Professor Sir Roy Anderson and Professor Brian Geoffrey Spratt...
at Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
.
Rector of Imperial College
Anderson succeeded Richard Sykes as the 14th Rector of Imperial CollegeRector of Imperial College
The Rector of Imperial College is the highest academic official of Imperial College London. The Rector is the chief executive, elected by the Council of the college and Chairman of the Senate. The position is currently head on an interim basis by Keith O'Nions after the resignation of Roy Anderson...
on 1 July 2008. In this role he expressed a desire to raise tuition fees and privatise
Private university
Private universities are universities not operated by governments, although many receive public subsidies, especially in the form of tax breaks and public student loans and grants. Depending on their location, private universities may be subject to government regulation. Private universities are...
top UK universitites within 10–20 years. He tendered his resignation in November 2009 stating “I have decided to step down as rector as I want to return to my primary concern, which is my deep and abiding research interest into global health.”
2009 Swine Flu Outbreak
Anderson was interviewed on the BBCBBC
The British Broadcasting Corporation is a British public service broadcaster. Its headquarters is at Broadcasting House in the City of Westminster, London. It is the largest broadcaster in the world, with about 23,000 staff...
's Today programme
Today programme
Today is BBC Radio 4's long-running early morning news and current affairs programme, now broadcast from 6.00 am to 9.00 am Monday to Friday, and 7.00 am to 9.00 am on Saturdays. It is also the most popular programme on Radio 4 and one of the BBC's most popular programmes across its radio networks...
about the 2009 swine flu outbreak on 1 May 2009 and said "the pandemic
Pandemic
A pandemic is an epidemic of infectious disease that is spreading through human populations across a large region; for instance multiple continents, or even worldwide. A widespread endemic disease that is stable in terms of how many people are getting sick from it is not a pandemic...
has started." Anderson is a temporary member of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies, a group set up to give scientific advice to the British government over health issues relating to swine flu. He faced calls to resign over a conflict of interest as an adviser to the government and as a member of GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline
GlaxoSmithKline plc is a global pharmaceutical, biologics, vaccines and consumer healthcare company headquartered in London, United Kingdom...
's board, though a spokesperson from Imperial College noted Anderson was 'not a member of the drug or vaccine sub committees of the flu advisory group.'
Honours
Anderson was elected a Fellow of the Royal SocietyRoyal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
in 1986, and an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Statistical Society
Royal Statistical Society
The Royal Statistical Society is a learned society for statistics and a professional body for statisticians in the UK.-History:It was founded in 1834 as the Statistical Society of London , though a perhaps unrelated London Statistical Society was in existence at least as early as 1824...
in 2004. He was knighted in the 2006 Queen's Birthday Honours list.
Personal life
In 1975, he married Mary Joan Mitchell, who he later divorced in 1989. In 1990, he married Claire Baron. He enjoys hill walking, croquetCroquet
Croquet is a lawn game, played both as a recreational pastime and as a competitive sport. It involves hitting plastic or wooden balls with a mallet through hoops embedded into the grass playing court.-History:...
, natural history
Natural history
Natural history is the scientific research of plants or animals, leaning more towards observational rather than experimental methods of study, and encompasses more research published in magazines than in academic journals. Grouped among the natural sciences, natural history is the systematic study...
and photography
Photography
Photography is the art, science and practice of creating durable images by recording light or other electromagnetic radiation, either electronically by means of an image sensor or chemically by means of a light-sensitive material such as photographic film...
.