Sir John Savill to head up MRC

The Medical Research Council has appointed Sir John Savill as chief executive and deputy chair with effect from 1 October.

He succeeds Sir Leszek Borysiewicz and will hold the position at the UK medical research body for a fixed term of three years.

Sir John Savill said: “I am thrilled to be joining the MRC at a time when there are such bright prospects for the UK to play a leading role in the international effort to beat disease through interdisciplinary discovery science.

“To ensure rapid translation into health and wealth gains, I look forward to working through the Office for Strategic Coordination of Health Research (OSCHR), with the National Institute of Health Research (NIHR), the devolved administrations and the Technology Strategy Board (TSB).”

Sir John has held the role of vice-principal and head of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine at the University of Edinburgh, where he was also the first director of the University of Edinburgh/MRC Centre for Inflammation Research, since 2002.

Since 2008 he has also worked part-time as the chief scientist for the Scottish Government Health Directorates.

The government has also reappointed Sir John Chisholm chair of the MRC for another two-year term from 1 October.