The University of Reading was delighted to award Sir John Beddington with an Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science at this year’s winter graduation ceremony.

Professor Sir John Beddington, CMG, FRS was Chief Scientific Adviser to the Government from 2008 until 2013. During his tenure, Sir John advised on events such as the 2009 swine flu outbreak and the Icelandic volcanic ash cloud. His advice on the minimal risk to the UK and its citizens posed by the Fukushima nuclear reactor crisis was crucial in stemming some of the hysteria.

Sir John’s research interests complement the University’s world- leading research areas of weather, climate change, energy and food security. In June 1997, Sir John was awarded the Heidelberg Award for Environmental Excellence and in 2001 he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. In 2004 he was awarded the Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George by the Queen for services to fisheries science and management, receiving his Knighthood in 2010.

Sir John is currently Senior Adviser at Oxford Martin School and Professor of Applied Population Biology at Imperial College London. He has as been named as the new Chair of the Cabot Institute External Advisory Board at the University of Bristol. Sir John is a firm believer that the complex challenges of the twenty-first century can only be overcome by researchers coming together across disciplinary boundaries.

Sir John Beddington said: “To receive an Honorary Degree from an excellent university such as Reading means a lot. If we think about the challenges in the 21^st century, they are dramatic. In the next 12 years there will be a further billion people on earth. In addition people are getting wealthier and the demand for food, water and energy is going to soar, so we have to think hard about to meet that demand, both in terms of production and the systems that drive food. Reading’s strengths in weather, climate change and food security means its work is crucial in combating these 21^st century challenges.”

Sir John Beddington was presented for the Honorary Degree of Doctor of Science at the 12.00 noon ceremony on Friday 13 December 2013 by Professor Richard Tiffin, Professor of Applied Economics and Director of the Centre for Food Security.

Professor Tiffin said: “It was a great honour to present Sir John with his Honorary Degree. We in the science community are indebted to Sir John for promoting science and evidence in the support of policy making. It was Sir John who persuaded the Treasury to ring-fence the science budget at the start of the current period of austerity.

“Sir John’s view of food security epitomises the approach we adopt in our Centre for Food Security. In his 2008 speech Sir John predicted a perfect storm of food, energy and water shortage whilst the world is struggling to adapt to climate change. In doing-so he thrust the issue to the top of the international agenda. His work has transformed the research landscape and succeeded in raising food security within the public consciousness.”