A celebratory event in honour of Lord Robert Winston’s new role as Professor of Science and Society at Imperial College London was recently held at the College’s South Kensington Campus.

Improving understanding and interaction between scientists and the public is the goal of Lord Winston in his new role as Professor of Science and Society. Over 40 guests including Lord Browne of Madingley, President of RAE; Lucy Neville Rolfe, Director Group Corporate Affairs, Tesco; and Dame Mary Richardson, HSBC Global Education Trust attended a dinner and reception to celebrate Professor Winston's appointment on Tuesday 1 April at 170 Queen’s Gate.

The freshly created Chair, generously supported by the Garfield Weston Foundation, will focus on finding methods to ensure that scientists communicate effectively with the public, with the aim of further embedding science communication techniques in Imperial’s teaching.

Lord Winston explains: “It is vital for scientists to be able to talk about our research. We need to encourage more students to recognise the importance of this and be able to talk about their work to make it relevant to as many people as possible. This will also have the benefit of stimulating thinking about the impact of scientific work on society in general.”

The role will also help to expand Imperial’s wide range of outreach activities, establishing a dedicated schools laboratory and seminar facility based at the College to give pupils and teachers experience of hands-on science in areas such as DNA analysis and robotics. He added: “Giving young people the chance to get involved in practical work in a scientific environment is the key to inspiring them to see science as exciting.”

Welcoming Lord Winston’s appointment to the new Chair, Rector Sir Richard Sykes said: “Robert Winston is one of the UK’s most prominent scientists and has an impressive track record of drawing a diverse cross-section of society into scientific conversations. I’m delighted that he will continue this vital work at Imperial.”

In addition to his new role as the Chair in Science and Society, Lord Winston will retain his Emeritus Professorship of Fertility Studies at the College.