New Director at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

5 June 2001

Renowned scientist Professor Patricia Nuttall has taken the reins at one of the Natural Environment Research Council's (NERC) major research centres. Professor Nuttall has been appointed Director of the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH).

Professor Nuttall is a leading expert in tick-borne viruses. In 1980 she joined NERC's Institute for Virology & Environmental Microbiology (renamed as CEH Oxford) and has been its Director for the past six years. She was the driving force behind Evolutec, NERC's first spin-out company which is creating new medicines using tick saliva, and will continue her active involvement with the company.

Her scientific career has taken her to Australia and to Russia where, in 1996, she was awarded the Ivanovsky Medal for Virology from the Russian Academy of Sciences. Last year she received the Order of the British Empire for her services to science.

Welcoming the appointment Professor John Lawton, NERC's Chief Executive, said,

"Pat has an excellent track record as a scientist and a leader at Oxford and is well aware of the challenges that lie ahead for CEH. I am certain that she will be able to build on the unique capabilities of CEH and make it an even stronger organisation."

Commenting on her appointment, Professor Nuttall said, "I am delighted with my appointment and the challenge it represents. I am looking forward to continuing the work begun by my predecessor, Professor Mike Roberts, to reinforce the role of CEH as a unified research centre, bringing together the vast range of skills and issues covered by CEH scientists."

Further information

Angela Morrison
CEH Oxford
Tel: 01865 281630

NERC Press Office
Natural Environment Research Council
Polaris House, North Star Avenue
Swindon, SN2 1EU
Tel: 01793 411561
Mob: 07917 557215

Notes

1. Professor Pat Nuttall is based in Oxford and is married with twin teenage daughters. She gained a B.Sc. (Hons) in Microbiology at the University of Bristol in 1974 and a Ph.D. in Virology from the University of Reading in 1978. More recently she gained an M.A. from the University of Oxford in 1995.

2. The Centre for Ecology & Hydrology (CEH) is one of NERC's research centres. CEH incorporates scientific expertise across a range of disciplines including environmental microbiology and virology, terrestrial ecology, and hydrology.

3. NERC leads in providing independent research and training in the environmental sciences.

Press release: 08/01

New Director at the Centre for Ecology & Hydrology

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