Receiving advice: Ministers will hear from science experts. Pic: © STV
Celebrity scientist Robert Winston is to advise the Scottish Government, it has been revealed.
Lord Winston, who is well-known to TV audiences, is one of 12 scientists appointed to the Scottish Science Advisory Council. It provides independent advice to the government on science.
Professor Anne Glover, chief scientific adviser for Scotland and co-chair of the SSAC, said: "Attracting such high-profile experts to the SSAC highlights Scotland's outstanding strength as a science nation.
"I look forward to working with all our new and existing members as we explore new ways to ensure that Scotland's economy and people benefit more fully from the quality of Scotland's science base."
Labour peer Lord Winston, has presented shows including the Bafta-winning The Human Body and How to Improve Your Memory. A government spokesman said the SSAC was a group of 19 experts providing advice to benefit "Scotland's economy and its people".
The other experts are mainly professors at Scottish universities, including Edinburgh, Glasgow, St Andrews and Heriot Watt. The first meeting of the SSAC with its new members will be held on Thursday at the Royal Botanic Garden Edinburgh, although Lord Winston will not be present.
He holds a number of honorary fellowships, including the Royal College of Surgeons of Edinburgh, and has been awarded honorary doctorates at 16 universities. Appointments to the SSAC, which do not receive any remuneration, are made for a three-year period.
