Professor Bernard Silverman, the current President of the Royal Statistical Society, has been appointed Chief Scientific Adviser to the Home Office, it was announced today.

He will stand down from the RSS Presidency to take up the role. He said: “I am excited to be taking up this appointment and look forward to making my own contribution to the vital process of providing good scientific advice to government. 

“Because of the Royal Statistical Society’s crucial role as an independent voice in the official and public arena, it would be inappropriately confusing for me to serve as President at the same time, and so I have decided to stand down from the Presidency.   I am, of course, looking forward to continuing to serve the Society as a Council Member and Past-President.”
 
Professor Silverman (pictured) is Professor of Statistics at Oxford University and until the end of last year was Master of St Peter’s College. He has one distinction unusual among statisticians – a degree in theology, which he was awarded in 2000 from Southampton University. The same year he was ordained Priest in the Church of England.
 
At the Home Office he will replace Professor Paul Wiles, a criminologist, who has been doubling that role with that of chief government social scientist and head of the Government Social Research service.
 Dr Andy Garrett,vice-president and honorary secretary of the RSS, said:  “The RSS is delighted for Bernard on his appointment. It is a recognition of his immense knowledge and expertise in the field of statistics. 
 
“We are also delighted that this means a leading statistician will be able to ensure that statistics is at the core of scientific opinion for this major government department."