Question to the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy:

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, how many of the Government’s Chief Scientists have a mathematical background; and if will provide information on the academic backgrounds of the Government’s Chief Scientists.

Most government departments have a Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) to provide scientific advice. A CSA is typically a distinguished scientist or engineer, recruited externally from academia or industry. Of the current cohort of CSAs, two have a purely mathematical background (FCDO CSA & MOD CSA).

However, all CSAs bring deep science and/or engineering knowledge and are able to work fluently across a range of sciences including mathematics.

All current departmental CSAs have their academic background published here: https://www.gov.uk/government/groups/chief-scientific-advisers.