It is my pleasure to present Professor Dame Anne Glover for admission as an Honorary Fellow of the Academy. Her career path is remarkable. In her own words, ‘nothing is more exciting than being part of making people's lives different’. She has done exactly this, across the breadth of scientific research and policy-making in Scotland and across Europe, always underpinned by her consistently-voiced, passionate advocacy for evidence-based decision in policy-making.
Born in the fishing town of Arbroath, and educated in Dundee, Anne continued her migration down the chilly East Coast of Scotland to graduate as BSc in Biochemistry from Edinburgh but then moved south to a PhD in Molecular Microbiology from King’s College, Cambridge.
After her doctorate, Anne relocated with her husband to Aberdeen where she started her distinguished independent scientific research career at Aberdeen University with a first lectureship in Biochemistry in 1983, leading her to a Chair in Molecular and Cell biology in 2001. Her research focused on microbial diversity in soil; protein synthesis and direction within cells and the development of bioluminescent bacteria that can be used as `sensors’ to monitor soil health and pollution levels - a technology which she later commercialised through her company Remedios - a successful enterprise dedicated to the diagnosis of ecological contamination and provision of solutions for its clean-up. More recent research has seen Glover interested in how we respond to stress at the molecular level which is of particular relevance to ageing and for research into Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s disease - and also for how our bodies respond to artificial stresses such as in chemotherapy treatment.
Alongside her remarkable research, Anne was always interested in the application of scientific discovery to policy-making - in her own words `to take advantage of new knowledge but in a way that we constantly monitor its effects.’ No stranger to involvement in science policy, Anne’s previous experience serving on the board of the Microbiology Society and as a member of the Natural Environment Research Council since 2001, together with her distinguished scientific track record, led directly to her 2006 appointment to the newly-created role of Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to the Scottish Government where her responsibilities included furthering Scotland’s reputation for science excellence.
During her six years as CSA for Scotland, Anne served on the Scottish Council of Economic Advisers and jointly chaired the Scottish Science Advisory Council, the semi-formal advisory body of experts from the science community reporting to the Chief Scientific Advisor’s office. I had the privilege of working with Anne in Scottish Government in my role as Chief Scientist and it was no surprise to me, that Anne’s strong track record of science leadership brought her onto the radar of the European Commission. Despite enjoying her time at the Scottish Government, by 2012 she was ready for change. She became the first Chief Scientific Advisor to the President of the European Commission (then Jose Manuel Barroso) in 2012. This was another newly created role, where she was charged with providing high level, independent and timely scientific advice to inform policy development and delivery for the Commission – with a remit ranging across the full science spectrum - from particle acceleration and the space programme to ecology and response to pandemic disease.
Despite minimal resourcing, Anne’s new role had substantial impact and she quickly became a highly influential and respected voice in European science policy. She chaired the Science & Technology Advisory Council to the President - tasked with considering the role that science could play in the ‘bigger picture’ and which resulted in the 2014 publication ‘The Future of Europe is science’, highlighting how Europe could best take advantage of science, engineering and technology opportunities over the next 15 years. Although she only had six staff and a tiny budget, she established the European Science Advisers Forum, a network of government science advisers from (then) 15 member states to build a platform for European national science advisers to discuss scientific evidence on topics of pan-European relevance, inform political decision and to share best practice and promote evidence-informed policy-making. By setting up strategic partnerships between the European Commission and European national academies, Anne also enabled more direct communication with `evidence providers’ such as science academies and learned societies, ensuring the ability of the scientific community to swiftly deliver targeted advice to policy makers.
During her tenure in Brussels, Anne became a true ambassador for science. She was a core member of the organising committee for the first global meeting of government science advisers, encouraging dialogue between governments and the scientific sector. As CSA for the Commission, she spoke at more than 250 public events, including Europe’s and North America’s largest general science conferences, giving more than 100 interviews to the media and active on social media. In 2013 she was listed amongst the UK’s 20 most influential women by BBC Radio’s Women’s Hour.
Anne Glover’s role as Chief Scientific Adviser at the Commission ended in 2014 upon the appointment of the next Commission President. Hungry for new challenges, she returned to Aberdeen University, taking up the role of Vice-Principal for External Affairs and in 2015 she was appointed to the board of Scottish Enterprise– the economic development agency providing expertise, investment and innovation support to the Scottish Government. Continuing her science leadership roles, Anne Glover was elected President of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2016 and was also appointed to the Board of Offshore Renewable Energy Catapult - the UK’s leading technology innovation and research centre for offshore renewable energy. Leaving Aberdeen in early 2018 she now also juggles the role of Special Advisor to the Principal and Vice-Chancellor at Strathclyde University with her wider commitments, as well as sailing around the West coast of Scotland with her husband Ian.
But Anne Glover’s contributions have not only been in the field of policy-making and leadership. Encouraged from a young age by her mother, and stimulated by her experience as a young woman, of having been discouraged from studying chemistry and embarking on a career in science on the basis that `labs are smelly’ and that she `wouldn’t find the working environment conducive’ -- Anne has always been active in encouraging women into science and an avid campaigner for challenging gender inequality in the sector. Previously named in 2008 as Woman of Outstanding Achievement in Science Engineering and Technology by the UK Resource Centre for Women in Science, Engineering and Technology (SET), Anne has worked hard to raise the profile of women in science. Her personal experience of sexism at the Commission led to her determined championship of gender equality during her period in Brussels – where opportunities afforded by her high-profile role allowed her to speak publically about gender equality at European Council events. She has also strived to engage young women with science; encourage their recruitment into sector careers and campaigned for their support to remain in the profession.
Now, as throughout her career, public service remains high on the agenda for Anne. Alongside her current portfolio of responsibilities, she continues to serve as a Trustee for several charities: chairing The Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland; as an Honorary Vice-President of the Royal Scottish Geographical Society; as a Trustee of the African Agriculture Technology Foundation and as a Board member of the Collaborative for Applied Bioscience International. She spares no effort and misses no opportunity to harness her experience and expertise to promote evidence-based decision making across the sector and beyond.
Summing up a stellar career, Anne Glover’s achievements have been publically recognised at the highest levels - including election to the Royal Society of Edinburgh, the Academia Europaea and the Royal Society. She was awarded a CBE in 2009 – in recognition of her services to environmental science and in the 2015 Queen's Birthday Honours, she was elevated to Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in recognition of her services to science in the UK and Europe. We can only expect more from this energetic and visionary individual; in her own words – `things knock at her door all the time’.