Professor Joyce Tait appointed to the Council for Science and Technology

Professor Joyce Tait has been appointed to the Council for Science and Technology, which advises the Prime Minister on science and technology policy issues that cut across the responsibilities of individual UK government departments.

Joyce, one of five new appointments to the Council, is the Director of the Innogen Institute based at The Open University (in the Faculty of Arts and Social Science) and in the University of Edinburgh.

Joyce (pictured below right), based principally at the University of Edinburgh, was an OU academic for 12 years. She has been an OU Visiting Professor for more than a decade, and has an OU honorary doctorate.

This appointment promises to be influential, particularly at a time when the [UK] Government is refining its industrial strategy in the context of the Brexit decision. My application emphasised the work done with Innogen Institute colleagues at the OU and Edinburgh Universities on regulatory adaptation to meet the needs of advanced innovative technologies, particularly in life sciences.

Professor Joyce Tait

Sir Mark Walport, UK Government Chief Scientific Adviser and current Chair of the Council said: “The five new members of the Council for Science and Technology bring with them a breadth of experience and expertise which will enable the Council to continue to provide excellent advice to government on science and technology opportunities and challenges. This will help ensure the UK remains at the forefront of global science."

Joyce’s expertise lies in the interdisciplinary study of governance of new technologies, especially new medical and agricultural technologies.

The Innogen Institute (Institute for Innovation Generation) is a collaboration between the University of Edinburgh and The Open University that explores the social and economic impact of innovation in the life sciences.  As a leading research, consulting and training unit it has expertise in bioeconomy, global health, food security, energy and environment. It has over 20 members in The Open University, from all faculties.