In response to the news that Dame Ottoline Leyser has been confirmed as the next Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI), Professor Sir Robert Lechler PMedSci, President of the Academy of Medical Sciences said:
“I would like to welcome the news that Dame Ottoline Leyser is to be the next Chief Executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI). Ottoline will bring a great mind, a broad understanding of the research landscape, and enormous passion to the role.
“Ottoline’s first challenge will be to navigate the turbulent times ahead and ensure that the Research and Innovation community continues to work together to respond to and recover from the present coronavirus pandemic. In the longer term, huge opportunities lie ahead to maximise the commitments that this Government has made to research. I am absolutely confident that Ottoline is the right person to take on this task and I look forward to working with her as she does so.
“Finally, I would like to thank Sir Mark Walport for his time at the helm of UKRI. Mark has done an excellent job of directing UKRI through its formative phases and leaves it on a sound course, ready for Ottoline to take the tiller.”
-ENDS-