Yorkshire Science

MichaelRoberts

Professor Michael Roberts has gained a broad background in land use and environmental sciences through lectureships at the Universities of Toronto and Liverpool and research management in the power industry and the UK Research Councils (NERC). He was Director of NERC's Institute of Terrestrial Ecology for 10 years from 1989. He was Director of NERC's Centre for Ecology and Hydrology from 1989 to 2001 during which period he implemented a major restructuring programme. He has managed a wide range of research projects in land use, conservation of biodiversity and environmental pollution. He has published over fifty papers on the ecological effects of air pollution, contaminated land and land use change.

He was Chairman of the UK 'Man and the Biosphere' Committee from 1990-2000. Representational duties on government committees include the Advisory Committee on Genetic Modification (ACGM), the Advisory Committee on Pesticides (ACP) and the Advisory Committee on Hazardous Substances (ACHS). Professor Roberts is currently the Chief Executive of Defra's premier laboratory (the Central Science Laboratory) with responsibility for research on the sustainable management of agriculture and provision of safe, wholesome food.