The James Hutton Institute’s Chief Operating Officer was named today as Dr Karen Shaw.

The new “super research institute” to be formed from the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute and SCRI is to be named in honour of the Scottish Enlightenment science pioneer, James Hutton.

A leading Scots scientist – currently working in Australia – has been named as the Chief Executive designate to lead Scotland’s new, crop, food and land use research organisation.

The hunt has begun for a world-leading scientist to fill the role of Chief Executive Officer at the new scientific research institute to be formed from SCRI (Scottish Crop Research Institute) and the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute (Macaulay Institute). [continue reading ... ]

The Chairmen of Governing Boards of the Macaulay Land Use and the Scottish Crop Research Institutes today announced the appointment of Ray Perman as the Chair of the new scientific research institute, which will be created by bringing the Aberdeen and Invergowrie based institutes together in April 2011.

Michael Gibson CBE, ARAgS Chairman of the Macaulay Governing Board, said:”I am very proud that the Macaulay is going to be a founding partner in what will be one of Europe’s foremost scientific institutes that is based here in Scotland”.

Chairman of the SCRI Governing Board Peter Berry CMG, said: “I look forward greatly to working with Ray over the next year to establish the world class new institute which is our vision for this merger of two great Scottish scientific institutions”.

The Scottish Crop Research Institute (SCRI) and the Macaulay Land Use Research Institute have agreed in principle to unite, strengthening Scotland’s rural-environmental research capacity and further enhancing their international competitiveness. [continue reading ... ]