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Angela McLean (biologist)

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Dame
Angela McLean
DBE FRS HonFREng
Angela McLean in 2019
Born
Angela Ruth Mclean

(1961-05-31) 31 May 1961 (age 63)
Kingston, Jamaica
EducationMary Datchelor School
Alma materUniversity of Oxford (BA)
Imperial College London (PhD)
Spouse
David van Oss
​
(m. 1986)​
Children3
AwardsRoyal Society University Research Fellowship (1990)
Gabor Medal (2011)
Weldon Memorial Prize (2018)
Scientific career
FieldsMathematical biology[1]
ThesisMathematical models of the epidemiology of measles in developing countries (1987)
Doctoral advisorRoy M. Anderson
Websitewww.biology.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-dame-angela-mclean-frs Edit this at Wikidata

Dame Angela Ruth McLean DBE FRS HonFREng (born 31 May 1961)[2][3] is professor of mathematical biology in the Department of Biology, University of Oxford, and Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK Government.[3][4][5][1][6]

Early life and education

[edit]

McLean was born on 31 May 1961 in Kingston, Jamaica, the daughter of Elizabeth and Andre McLean.[3] She was educated at Mary Datchelor Girls’ School, Camberwell, London, going on to study for a Bachelor of Arts degree in mathematics at the University of Oxford where she was a student of Somerville College, Oxford. She was taught mathematical biology by Jim Murray,[7] and graduated in 1982.[3] In 1987 she received her PhD from Imperial College, London with a thesis on Mathematical models of the epidemiology of measles in developing countries, supervised by Roy M. Anderson.[8][3][9]

Career and research

[edit]

McLean's research interests are in the use of mathematical models to aid our understanding of the evolution and spread of infectious agents. Her research investigates how quickly infections grow inside individuals, and also how fast they spread amongst individuals.[10]

She has worked on infectious diseases of humans such as coronavirus, human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)[10] and measles, and on animal diseases such as foot-and-mouth,[11] and scrapie.[12]

In 1990, McLean won a Royal Society University Research Fellowship at the University of Oxford, and between 1994 and 1998 was seconded to the Pasteur Institute in Paris.[13]

Between 1998 and 2000 she became head of Mathematical Biology at the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council's Institute for Animal Health.

In 2000 she was appointed as Professor of Mathematical Biology, University of Oxford and Fellow of St Catherine's College, Oxford.[9]

Following the outbreak in 2001 of foot-and-mouth disease she served as a committee member on the independent review carried out by the Royal Society. The review, chaired by Sir Brian Follett, made recommendations from a scientific standpoint about how to prevent and combat further invasions of highly infectious livestock diseases.

She has continued to serve in an advisory capacity to the UK government, including chairing the lead expert group for a policy futures project on reducing the risk of future disasters, including disease pandemics. She was a member of the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA) Science Advisory Council as well as the Department of Health's National Expert Panel on New and Emerging Infections.[14]

In 2005, McLean also became director of the Institute for Emerging Infections of Humans in the James Martin 21st Century School, Oxford.

In 2008 she was elected as a senior research fellow in theoretical life sciences at All Souls College, Oxford.

In 2009 she was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS).[14]

From 2013 onwards McLean was involved in the restatement or synthesis of scientific evidence on key topic areas for policy.[15] She co-authored a number of Restatements published by the Royal Society and the Oxford Martin School. The topics included: the health effects of low-level ionising radiation;[16] neonicotinoid insecticides and insect pollinators; the effects of endocrine disrupting chemicals on wildlife; the control of bovine tuberculosis.[17]

In 2019 McLean was appointed as Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence, the first woman to be appointed to the post.[4][18]

During the COVID-19 pandemic in 2020-2021 she attended meetings of the Scientific Advisory Group for Emergencies (SAGE)[19] and was deputy[20] to Sir Patrick Vallance, the Government Chief Scientific Adviser (GCSA). Together with Professor Graham Medley she co-chaired the SAGE sub-committee Scientific Pandemic Influenza Group on Modelling (SPI-M-O).[19] She also contributed to some of the government's media briefings.[21]

In 2023 the Cabinet Secretary announced that McLean had been selected by the Prime Minister as the new Government Chief Scientific Adviser after an open competition, to succeed Sir Patrick Vallance.[22] McLean is the first woman to be appointed to this post.[23]

Awards and honours

[edit]

Mclean's honours and awards include

Government offices
Preceded by Chief Scientific Adviser
to the Ministry of Defence
2019–2023 		Succeeded by
Preceded by Government Chief Scientific Adviser
2023– 		Incumbent

Personal life

[edit]

Mclean married David van Oss in 1986.[3] They have 2 daughters and 1 son together.

References

[edit]
  1. ^ a b Angela McLean publications indexed by Google Scholar Edit this at Wikidata
  2. ^ "Oxford academics recognised in Queen's Birthday Honours - University of Oxford". ox.ac.uk.
  3. ^ a b c d e f Anon (2015). "McLean, Dame Angela Ruth, (Dame Angela van Oss)". Who's Who (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. doi:10.1093/ww/9780199540884.013.u249736. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
  4. ^ a b "MOD appoints first female Chief Scientific Adviser". GOV.UK. Retrieved 23 June 2019.
  5. ^ Official website Edit this at Wikidata
  6. ^ Angela McLean publications from Europe PubMed Central
  7. ^ Ministry of Defence (8 March 2021). "Q&A: What's it like being the Chief Scientific Advisor in a pandemic?".
  8. ^ McLean, Angela Ruth (1987). Mathematical models of the epidemiology of measles in developing countries (PhD thesis). Imperial College London. hdl:10044/1/47259. OCLC 1001138698. EThOS uk.bl.ethos.717180. Retrieved 20 February 2023.
  9. ^ a b "Prof Angela McLean - University of Oxford". Ox.ac.uk. Archived from the original on 22 October 2013. Retrieved 14 October 2013.
  10. ^ a b "Professor Dame Angela McLean | All Souls College". asc.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  11. ^ "Infectious Diseases in Livestock". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  12. ^ A R Mclean; A Hoek; L J Hoinville; M B Gravenor (1 December 1999). "Scrapie transmission in Britain: a recipe for a mathematical model". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 266 (1437): 2531–2538. doi:10.1098/RSPB.1999.0956. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 1690487. PMID 10693825. Wikidata Q52081686.
  13. ^ "Professor Dame Angela McLean". GOV.UK. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  14. ^ a b "Angela Mclean 11933/?Commitee=/About Us/Committees/Primers Steering Gro". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  15. ^ "Principles of Evidence Synthesis Research | Royal Society". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  16. ^ Angela McLean; Ella K Adlen; Elisabeth Cardis; et al. (1 September 2017). "A restatement of the natural science evidence base concerning the health effects of low-level ionizing radiation". Proceedings of the Royal Society B. 284 (1862). doi:10.1098/RSPB.2017.1070. ISSN 0962-8452. PMC 5597830. PMID 28904138. Wikidata Q53833802.
  17. ^ "Restatements". Oxford Martin School. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  18. ^ "Ministry of Defence appoints first female Chief Scientific Adviser". The Telegraph. 23 June 2019. ISSN 0307-1235. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  19. ^ a b "List of participants of SAGE and related sub-groups". GOV.UK. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  20. ^ Sample, Ian (24 April 2020). "Who's who on secret scientific group advising UK government?". The Guardian. ISSN 0261-3077. Retrieved 17 February 2023.
  21. ^ "Slides and datasets to accompany coronavirus data briefing". GOV.UK. Cabinet Office. 18 November 2020. Retrieved 19 November 2020.
  22. ^ "New Government Chief Scientific Adviser Appointed". GOV.UK. Retrieved 24 August 2023.
  23. ^ Naddaf, Miryam (2023). "COVID expert Angela McLean is UK's new chief scientific adviser". Nature. doi:10.1038/d41586-023-00520-4. PMID 36810491. S2CID 257102042.
  24. ^ a b The Royal Society. "Angela McLean". royalsociety.org. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  25. ^ "No. 62310". The London Gazette (Supplement). 9 June 2018. p. B7.
  26. ^ "Academia Europaea: Angela McLean". Retrieved 7 November 2023.
  27. ^ Department of Zoology, University of Oxford (17 May 2018). "Professor Angela McLean awarded the Weldon Medal". zoo.ox.ac.uk. Retrieved 3 July 2019.
  28. ^ "Royal Academy of Engineering welcomes 73 new Fellows". Retrieved 20 September 2023.
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