Halliday to succeed Pounds at PPARC

THE DEPARTMENT of Trade and Industry this week announced that Ian Halliday of the University of Wales, Swansea will succeed Ken Pounds as chief executive and deputy chairman of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council, writes Kam Patel.

Professor Halliday, head of physics at Swansea, has been appointed for three years with an option of two further years. He has been a member of the council of PPARC since 1994.

Professor Halliday, aged 57, said that high on PPARC's agenda for the next six months would be to complete the Large Hadron Collider, the giant atom-smashing machine being constructed at Cern, Europe's particle physics laboratory in Geneva. He said: "Many British particle physicists are involved in collaborative work. I want to continue to strengthen PPARC's commitment to them. We have suffered in the past because our funding has lagged behind other nations."

Over the longer term Professor Halliday wants to focus on prioritisation of PPARC research: "We have set up a science committee to look at the issue and I think its role will have to be strengthened."

The DTI also announced that Albert Westwood will succeed Paul Williams as chairman and chief executive of the Council for the Central Laboratory of the Research Councils. Dr Westwood is a Briton with a strong record of managing industrial research in the United States. Richard Brook, chief executive and deputy chairman of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council, and John Krebs, chief executive and deputy chairman of the Natural Environment Research Council, have been reappointed to their posts.

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