Professor Sir John Aston has been confirmed as the next RSS president after Dr Andrew Garrett’s term of office concludes at the end of 2024.
John is the Harding Professor of Statistics in Public Life at the University of Cambridge where he develops statistical techniques for public policy and improves the use of quantitative methods in public policy debates.
From 2017 to 2020 he was the Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office, providing statistical and scientific advice to ministers and officials. As part of the Chief Scientific Adviser Network, he was involved in the UK’s response to the Covid pandemic. He was knighted in the 2021 Birthday Honours for services to statistics and public policymaking.
His research interests include medical imaging and healthcare statistics, statistical linguistics and official statistics.
Having been an RSS member for over 14 years, John has played an active role in the Society. He is currently part of the RSS strategy group and chairs the steering committee of the ‘Statistics Under Pressure’ initiative. He has previously served on the Research Section and was also a member of the Academic Affairs Advisory Committee.
John was recommended from a list of nominees put forward by fellows to the President Nominating Committee, with fellows then given an opportunity to nominate an alternative candidate.
Sir John, commenting on the news said ‘I am honoured and delighted to become the RSS president in 2025. It is arguable that there has never been a more important time for statistics as a discipline and within society. The RSS will be pivotal as a voice as statistics becomes ever more crucial and I very much look forward to being part of this important work.’
RSS president, Dr Andrew Garrett added, ‘I am thrilled that John is to be our next president. He brings a wealth of experience from across the discipline and his commitment to improving the use of data in public life and policymaking is in perfect alignment with the RSS’s mission to promote a world with data at the heart of decision making.’