Sir William Duncan Paterson Stewart (born 6 June 1935) was President of the
Royal Society of Edinburgh
The Royal Society of Edinburgh is Scotland's national academy of science and letters. It is a registered charity that operates on a wholly independent and non-partisan basis and provides public benefit throughout Scotland. It was established i ...
from 1999–2002 and Chairman of the Microbiological Research Authority.
Education
Stewart was educated at
Bowmore Junior Secondary School,
Dunoon Grammar School and the
University of Glasgow
, image = UofG Coat of Arms.png
, image_size = 150px
, caption = Coat of arms
Flag
, latin_name = Universitas Glasguensis
, motto = la, Via, Veritas, Vita
, ...
, where he gained
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
,
Doctor of Philosophy
A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...
and
Doctor of Science
Doctor of Science ( la, links=no, Scientiae Doctor), usually abbreviated Sc.D., D.Sc., S.D., or D.S., is an academic research degree awarded in a number of countries throughout the world. In some countries, "Doctor of Science" is the degree used f ...
degrees.
Career
From 1990 to 1995 Stewart was
Chief Scientific Adviser, Cabinet Office, and the first Head of the UK
Office of Science and Technology (1992–1995).
Stewart is also Chairman of the
National Radiological Protection Board The National Radiological Protection Board (NRPB) was a public authority in the UK created by the Radiological Protection Act 1970. Its statutory functions were to conduct research on radiological protection and provide advice and information on th ...
(NRPB) and Chairman of the
Health Protection Agency. He has held a number of other high-profile appointments including: Architect of the Government's Technology Foresight Programme, which was launched in 1995 and Chairman of the Independent Expert Group on Mobile Telephones and Health, which reported in 2000. He is a biologist by training. He was Chairman of
Tayside
Tayside ( gd, Taobh Tatha) was one of the nine regions used for local government in Scotland from 15 May 1975 to 31 March 1996. The region was named for the River Tay.
It was created by the Local Government (Scotland) Act 1973, following recom ...
University Hospital
A university hospital is an institution which combines the services of a hospital with the education of medical students and with medical research. These hospitals are typically affiliated with a medical school or university. The following is a l ...
s
NHS Trust but resigned following a critical report from the Tayside Task Force.
He has served on numerous advisory committees, including the
Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution and the
Natural Environment Research Council. Stewart was Chief Executive of the
Agricultural and Food Research Council
The Agricultural and Food Research Council (AFRC) was a British Research Council responsible for funding and managing scientific and technological developments in farming and horticulture.
History
The AFRC was formed in 1983 from its predecessor, ...
, a former Vice-President of the
Royal Society of London
The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...
and is a Past President of the
British Association for the Advancement of Science
The British Science Association (BSA) is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and development of science. Until 2009 it was known as the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BA). The current Chie ...
.
Personal
Stewart is married to the former Elizabeth Smales, a senior medical officer at the
Scottish Executive.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stewart, William Duncan Paterson
1935 births
Living people
Scottish biologists
Knights Bachelor
Chief Scientific Advisers to HM Government
Fellows of the Royal Society
Fellows of the Royal Society of Edinburgh
People from Islay
Presidents of the British Science Association
Academics of the University of Nottingham
Academics of the University of London
Academics of the University of Dundee