The next chief executive of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) ¡°ticks all the right boxes¡± for running the ?9 billion-a-year research funder given his scientific credibility, experience in leading a major organisation and willingness to take bold strategic decisions, experts said.

The confirmation of?Ian Chapman as the new boss of UKRI?follows a year-long hunt for a successor to Ottoline Leyser, who?announced back in January 2024?that she would step down this summer at the end of her five-year term of office.

Chapman, who has led a 2,000-strong research team at the UK Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA) since 2016, was described as an ¡°exceptionally strong candidate to lead UKRI in pursuing ambitious curiosity-driven research¡± by science minister Patrick Vallance when the appointment was?

¡°He is an excellent choice,¡± agreed John Womersley, a former chief executive of the Science and Technology Facilities Council, who has worked with Chapman.

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¡°He is very well connected with government and crucially he has won significant amounts money from them, which is always a good sign,¡± said Womersley, referring to the??650 million secured by UKAEA?in 2023 to lead a UK fusion research initiative, after the then Conservative government decided not to associate to the Euratom funding programme?when it rejoined Horizon Europe.

¡°That allowed us not to get tied down by Euratom ¨C it shows he¡¯s not afraid to shake things up. In that sense, he¡¯s a bit of a Dominic Cummings appointment in that he¡¯s not bound by scientific tradition that dictates that European projects are the only way to go,¡± continued Womersley, who believes this call was correct in light of the repeated delays to Europe¡¯s ITER fusion programme, whose reactor will not start producing energy until at least 2039.

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At UKAEA, Chapman had stressed the importance of furthering nuclear research for domestic energy ¡°rather than for academic publications¡±, continued Womersley.

¡°He¡¯s quite aligned with Patrick Vallance¡¯s mission-focused approach to research and that will be reassuring for government, even if he¡¯s a bit of an unknown quantity for academia as he doesn¡¯t come from a university research background,¡± he added.

Describing Chapman as a ¡°doer rather than a thinker¡±, Womersley contrasted the 42-year-old fusion scientist to UKRI¡¯s current leader Leyser, who was well known for her science policy work at the Royal Society, as well as her plant science research, prior to?taking UK research¡¯s top job in 2020.

¡°You¡¯ll struggle to find any big speeches that he¡¯s made on research policy or the role of research in society ¨C his experience is running a significant-sized organisation. He won¡¯t be a rival to Patrick Vallance with his ideas on the role of universities in research,¡± Womersley said.

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Carsten Welsch, head of accelerator science at the University of Liverpool, one of?UKAEA¡¯s university partners, also welcomed the appointment, noting that Chapman¡¯s ¡°long-standing expertise in managing large-scale scientific projects should position him well to guide UKRI in supporting world-class research and innovation¡±.

¡°Large-scale facilities require a strategic and long-term vision and plan, and they rely on strong international partnerships ¨C I have no doubt that Ian brings a deep understanding in these areas,¡± added Welsch, who said he had ¡°crossed paths several times¡± with Chapman in his particle physics research.

Research excellence: what is it and how can universities achieve it?

While Chapman came from a ¡°non-university [research] background¡± ¨C having worked at UKAEA since completing his PhD at Imperial College London in 2008 ¨C Welsch said he had ¡°no doubt that he will fully recognise the critical role that universities play in training talent, driving discovery-led research, and contributing to the UK¡¯s innovation ecosystem¡±.

Joe Marshall, chief executive of the National Centre for Universities and Business, said Chapman¡¯s scientific background as an acclaimed physicist prior to taking the reins at UKAEA and as an experienced administrator at an organisation with commercial links would help him navigate the ¡°healthy tensions within UKRI¡±, with missions covering basic research, innovation and commercialisation.

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¡°You need someone who is a world-class academic in their own right, someone with experience in how research can be commercialised, and someone who has run a big organisation ¨C Ian ticks all the right boxes in this respect,¡± said Marshall.

Asked how Chapman would help achieve UKRI¡¯s ¡°refreshed mission that puts economic growth at the heart of public investment in R&D¡±, as the government put it, Marshall said the key would be to ¡°make sure UKRI is more than the sum of its parts¡± ¨C namely its eight research councils and the innovation funder Innovate UK.

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¡°That is really what missions are all about ¨C applying multidisciplinary teams to problems rather than limiting research to different disciplinary domains,¡± said Marshall, who argued Chapman would be a ¡°fresh pair of eyes from outside the academic sector¡± in this core role?at UKRI.

jack.grove@timeshighereducation.com