Science and the Parliament 2024

Annette has 35 years of international experience working within the pharmaceutical sector, including at Warner-Lambert, Pfizer and most recently GSK where she was Senior Vice President, Global Head of Product Development and Clinical Supply. She has been directly involved in the research, development and launch of over 30 new medicines in respiratory, infectious diseases, cancer and inflammatory conditions.

She is the recently appointed Chair of the Maidstone and Tunbridge Wells NHS Trust and is also a non-executive at the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust. She holds various Trustee positions including at Addenbrookes Hospital Charitable Trust (ACT), St John Ambulance charity and Member at the Tonbridge Grammar School Academy.  She is a Council Member at Innovate UK, part of UKRI.

She is currently Senior Advisor at Frazier Life Sciences, a team investing in and building companies developing and commercializing novel therapeutics.

She has a BSc in Chemistry (1982) and a PhD in Organic Synthesis (1985) from Imperial College London and has conducted postdoctoral research with a NATO fellowship at Ohio State University (1985-1987).  

In 2009, Annette was awarded an OBE in recognition of her services to the pharmaceutical sector.  She is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry and an Honorary Fellow of the British Pharmacological Society.  She is the current President of the Royal Society of Chemistry - 2024 – 2026.

Dr Stuart Farmer is Learning and Skills Manager at the Institute of Physics Scotland and an Honorary Fellow at the University of Stirling Centre for Research into Curriculum Making. Previously he taught physics in Scottish secondary schools for 35 years. Throughout his career he has been active in many curriculum, assessment, and professional learning projects, and advising on educational policy.  He recently completed a PhD at the University of Strathclyde Institute of Education researching the policy and practice of teacher professional learning in Scotland.

Dr Alicia Greated is Executive Director of Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) where she leads a dynamic organisation that shapes significant changes in public policy. Alicia has extensive experience of strategic leadership and management in the R&D sector, including as a CEO, both in the UK and overseas. 
Alicia is also a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology and holds a number of advisory roles including as a member of the Royal Society’s Science, Industry and Translation Committee, and a member of the Scottish Funding Council’s (SFC) Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee.

Martin Hendry is Professor of Gravitational Astrophysics and Cosmology at the University of Glasgow, where he is also currently Vice-Principal and Clerk of Senate and he was previously Head of the School of Physics and Astronomy from 2012-2020.  Martin is a senior member of the LIGO Scientific Collaboration: the global team of more than 1500 scientists who in 2015 made the first ever detection of gravitational waves from two colliding black holes more than a billion light years away – a discovery awarded the 2017 Nobel Prize for Physics. 
When he is not hunting for black holes, Martin is a passionate advocate and champion of STEM education and public engagement. Martin is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh and is currently RSE Vice-President for Public Engagement and a member of RSE Council and Trustee. He is also convenor of the Learned Societies Group on Scottish STEM Education and is a Fellow, former Council Member and Scotland Chair, of the Institute of Physics.

Stephen is the programme manager for socioeconomic inclusion in the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Inclusion & Diversity team, working to develop a deeper understanding of the barriers and challenges experienced at all career stages for chemical scientists from low socioeconomic backgrounds. His work builds on previous RSC inclusion and diversity initiatives, acknowledging the importance of intersectionality in understanding the simultaneous forms of discrimination, disadvantage, and privilege that a marginalised or underrepresented individual may experience. This perspective informs and recommends support mechanisms available from the RSC and Chemists’ Community Fund to enhance inclusive access and progression for all within the chemical sciences

Dr Khan has over 25 years of experience in the space sector securing and delivering complex projects related to business growth and stakeholder engagement across government, industry and academia.  She was the first ever Executive Director at Space Scotland, an industry-led not-for-profit organisation geared toward developing the space sector in Scotland. Dr Khan’s extensive background in the space sector began with a PhD in Space Science from the University of Leicester. This was followed by a 10-year research career in space science data analytics with NASA, ESA and UCL. Her leadership roles include Innovation Lead at the Scottish Centre of Excellence in Satellite Applications and Programme Lead at Spire. She is also a Board Director at the Scottish Chambers of Commerce.

Richard Lochhead has represented the Moray Constituency in the Scottish Parliament since 2006. Prior to that, Mr Lochhead represented North East Scotland from 1999 to 2006.
He attended Williamwood High School in Clarkston and Central College of Commerce in Glasgow, before graduating in Political Studies from the University of Stirling. Immediately prior to his election, he worked as an economic development officer for Dundee City Council.
Mr Lochhead previously served as Cabinet Secretary for Rural Affairs, Food and the Environment between 2007 and 2016, and was appointed Minister for Small Business, Innovation, Tourism and Trade in March 2023. 

Sean McNamara is Director of CILIPS, the professional association representing library and information workers in Scotland. CILIPS advocates for the vital role of libraries and librarians in numerous societal areas, including the promotion of critical thinking skills and ethical use and understanding of AI. Sean also chairs the Media and Information Literacy Community of Practice which is a cross-sectoral group of organisations

Dr Sinead Rhodes is an academic psychologist based in the College of Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. 
Her research focuses on understanding and supporting thinking, learning and the mental health of children and young people with Neurodevelopmental conditions e.g. autism, ADHD. She is the Founder and a Director of the spin-out social enterprise company EPIC Think Learn which provides services and resources to parents and teachers of children with Neurodevelopmental conditions including those not yet diagnosed / on waiting lists. 
She is an expert in science communication and public engagement and is the Founder of Research the Headlines, a project focused on engaging the public with research they are exposed to in the media.  

Dilraj is the Director of Equate Scotland, which is a national policy, research and development organisation focussing on women’s underrepresentation within the science, engineering, technology, and the built environment industries. As programme lead, she directs the work of Equate Scotland through financial, strategic, people and policy management. Dilraj has worked in senior programme management, policy development and executive positions across a diverse range of not-for-profit organisations.
With a grounding in business administration and carbon management, Dilraj brings cross-sector experience in urban development with subject matter expertise on the themes of environment, poverty, social capital, AI and ethics.

Dilraj is currently a member of Scotland’s AI Alliance Leadership Group, Climate Emergency Skills Action Plan Implementation Steering Group and as an industry expert in QMU’s  Psychology and Sociology Advisory panel. Dilraj also has ongoing trustee responsibilities in local and international organisations. Dilraj’s work has been always guided by her personal values- rights-based and intersectional.

Rebecca is a HCPC registered biomedical scientist trained in laboratory haematology, and a Fellow of the Higher Education Academy. Rebecca is employed at Robert Gordon University in the School of Pharmacy, Applied Science and Public Health where she is involved in a wide range of biomedical teaching, including mentoring students undertaking clinical laboratory placements in NHS Grampian and NHS Highland laboratories. Rebecca is actively involved in her professional community, sitting on the Institute of Biomedical Science (IBMS) local Aberdeen branch committee, the IBMS Scottish Teaching Forum, and is a STEM ambassador. In 2019, Rebecca received the award of Champion of Biomedical Science for Scotland from the IBMS.