The British Science Association (BSA) has awarded an Honorary Fellowship to Swansea University’s Professor Tom Crick MBE.
The BSA is a charity and learned society founded in 1831 to aid in the promotion and advancement of science. Each year since 2001, the BSA asks its staff, trustees, stakeholders and supporters to nominate individuals for an Honorary Fellowship, who are then selected by the BSA Council.
The Fellowship recognises people who have made a significant contribution to advancing the vision and mission of the BSA, which, this year, includes Professor Crick, science writer and broadcaster Alom Shaha, and business leader and former BSA Chair Gisela Abbam.
Professor Crick said:
“I’m absolutely delighted to be made an Honorary Fellow of the British Science Association. The BSA is very close to my heart, in part having previously been a Trustee, but especially through its mission and ambition of bringing science and society together.
“I look forward to working with the BSA going forward in highlighting the importance of diverse citizen voices to ensure that science is recognised as a key part of culture and society.”
Hannah Russell, Chief Executive of the BSA, added:
“We are so pleased to be welcoming Tom, Alom and Gisela as British Science Association Fellows. It’s a Fellowship that recognises significant contributions made towards our vision: to create a future where science is more relevant, representative and connected to society.
“In different ways, through their different institutions and bodies of work, our new Fellows have worked and continue to work hard to bring people and science together, to engage, connect, and open doors, challenge stereotypes or further the inclusion and diversity of science. We are proud for them to be joining us and excited to work with them toward our shared goals.”
Professor Crick is Chief Scientific Adviser at the UK Government’s Department for Culture, Media and Sport and Professor of Digital Policy at Swansea University.
While his disciplinary background is in computer science, his interests sit at the interface of research, policy, and practice, identifying and addressing domain problems with broad digital, data-driven and computational themes, and especially focusing on the impact on citizens, communities, culture and the economy.
Professor Crick has led the major science and technology curriculum reforms in Wales over the past 10 years and has recently driven the development of Swansea University’s first civic mission strategy. Alongside his academic work, Professor Crick was an inaugural Commissioner of the National Infrastructure Commission for Wales and has held senior board-level or advisory roles with Nesta, Ofcom, the Campaign for Science & Engineering, and BCS, The Chartered Institute for IT. Professor Crick was also a Trustee and elected member of Council of the British Science Association from 2011-2017.
Professor Crick joins an exceptional group of individuals to have received this honour — the highest the BSA can award — including Sir David Attenborough, Professor Brian Cox, Dame Maggie Aderin-Pocock, Dr Helen Sharman, Professor Alice Roberts, Professor Devi Sridhar, Professor Jim Al-Khalili, and Wayne McGregor.
