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REPORTS

Report of the General Board on the establishment of certain fixed-term Professorships

The GENERAL BOARD beg leave to report to the University as follows:

1. In their Report on certain fixed-term Professorships and Readerships and future arrangements for awarding the title of Honorary Professor or Reader (Reporter, 2000-01, p. 814), the Board, in accordance with policy and procedure outlined in paragraph 6 of their Notice on appointments to unestablished posts at the level of Professor and Reader (Reporter, 2000-01, p. 552), proposed, inter alia, the establishment of a number of fixed-term Professorships and Readerships, in place of unestablished Research Professorships and Readerships. The Board, in their Notice, also stated their intention to recommend the establishment of fixed-term Professorships on future occasions when an individual had been successful in a prestigious and external competition, for example, Royal Society and MRC Research Professorships. In a further Report, dated 11 July 2001 (Reporter, 2000-01, p. 1013), the Board proposed the establishment of two Professorships for the holders of Research Professorships awarded by the Royal Society.

2. The Board have recently considered the position of the holders of Wellcome Trust Principal Research Fellowships in relation to the policy set out in their Notice. The Board note that such Fellowships are awarded only after very extensive peer review, to individuals of the highest academic distinction and, furthermore, that in other universities the holders of such Fellowships are accorded professorial status. In the light of these considerations the Board consider that there are strong grounds for treating the holders of Wellcome Principal Research Fellowships in the same way as the holders of Royal Society and MRC Research Professorships.

3. With the advice of their Advisory Committee on Senior Appointments, the Board have now considered proposals for the establishment of fixed-term Professorships, for holders of Wellcome Principal Research Fellowships in the University, to be held coterminously with the period of funding from the Wellcome Trust. The Board accordingly propose, in recommendation I, the establishment of six such Professorships for the persons named.

4. The Royal Society also agreed to extend until 30 September 2007 the tenure of the Royal Society Professorship which Professor A. C. Fabian has held since 1982. This appointment was made on an unestablished basis under the arrangements, which formerly obtained for Royal Society Professors prior to 1996. In the light of the review of their policy on unestablished posts at professorial level, the Board consider it would now be appropriate to establish a Professorship for Professor Fabian, for five years from 1 October 2002.

5. The General Board recommend:

I. That Professorships be established for named persons, for the periods specified, placed in Schedule B of the Statutes, and assigned to the Department named in each case, as follows:

A Professorship of Neuroscience, in the Department of Anatomy, for the period 1 October 2002 until 14 March 2011, for Dr W. Schultz.

A Professorship of Developmental Genetics, in the Department of Genetics, for the period 1 October 2002 until 30 June 2007, for Dr D. St Johnston.

A Professorship of Comparative Embryology, in the Department of Zoology, for the period 1 October 2002 until 18 June 2010, for Dr P. Simpson.

A Professorship of Molecular Cell Biology, in the Department of Clinical Biochemistry, for the period 1 October 2002 until 30 June 2004, for Dr M. S. Robinson.

A Professorship of Biostatistics, in the Department of Medical Genetics, for the period 1 October 2002 until 30 September 2010, for Dr D. G. Clayton.

A Professorship of Immunogenetics, in the Department of Medical Genetics, for the period 1 October 2002 until 31 May 2006, for Dr L. S. Wicker.

II. That a Royal Society Professorship of Astronomy be established for Professor A. C. Fabian, for the period 1 October 2002 until 30 September 2007, assigned to the Institute of Astronomy, and placed in Schedule B of the Statutes.

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Cambridge University Reporter, Wednesday 29 January 2003
Copyright © 2002 The Chancellor, Masters and Scholars of the University of Cambridge.