Congratulations to RSS fellow Sir Ian Diamond, who has been announced the new chair of the Council for Mathematical Sciences (CMS) from September 2018.
The CMS is made up of five societies: the Royal Statistical Society, the Operational Research Society. It works to raise the voice of the mathematical sciences, including statistics, with government and research bodies.
Sir Ian is former chief executive of the Economic and Social Research Council and chair of the Research Council UK Executive Group as well as being a board member of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) – the new body that brings together the UK research councils. He has been principal and vice-chancellor of the University of Aberdeen since 2010.
Sir Ian will take over from former RSS president Sir Adrian Smith, who has held the role since 2013, during which time he published the important statement (PDF), Sir Adrian said of his successor; 'He is exceptionally well qualified to ensure that the CMS continues to champion the health of the of UK’s mathematical sciences people pipeline and its contribution to national educational, social and economic challenges.’
RSS president, Sir David Spiegelhalter, said: 'I'm delighted that Sir Ian has accepted this role, as he will provide a strong voice in promoting the vital importance of mathematics and statistics in society'.