Imperial economist Carol Propper joins UK council for science and technology

Professor Dame Carol Propper has been appointed as a member of the Prime Minister’s Council for Science and Technology.

The Council for Science and Technology is the government's most senior expert committee advising on strategic science and technology policy issues. The Council provides regular advice to the Prime Minister and the National Science and Technology Council, through letters, seminars or reports.

Members of the Council include leading figures in the science, technology and business community who are drawn from across academia, key high-tech businesses and investors in innovative companies. Presidents of the national academies and a senior UKRI representative serve as ex-officio members.

Professor Propper is a world-renowned economist and an expert in workforce and health statistics. She has been a key voice on the impact of the COVID-19 pandemic on the NHS, producing papers which address the spending needs relating to healthcare and the coronavirus and the future of the NHS after the pandemic. She has also championed the need for greater diversity among the economics community.

Reacting to the news of her appointment, Professor Propper said: “I am delighted to have been appointed to the CST and look forward to contributing to the Council’s provision of advice on the government’s high-level priorities for science and technology and opportunities for achieving national goals through emerging technologies.”

The Council’s work includes developing advice on areas including government action to support translation of engineering biology research into benefits for society and the role of international science and technology partnerships to achieve national goals. The Council also explores science and technology in the creative industries and the UK’s Space and satellite capabilities.

She will undertake her new role whilst maintaining her current position as a Professor of Economics at Imperial College Business School.

Professor Francisco Veloso, Dean of Imperial College Business School said: “Congratulations to Carol for this incredible achievement. As a leading economist, Carol has made an important contribution to the fields of economics, health and social sciences and continues to inspire our community with her achievements beyond Imperial. This latest appointment reflects our mission to address societal challenges through the interface between business and science.”

This new role follows Professor Propper’s appointment as a non-executive director of the UK Statistics Authority last month. Among her other achievements, she is a British Academy Fellow, an International Fellow of the American National Academy of Medicine and the Centre for Economics Policy Research and a former President of the Royal Economic Society. She is also a member of President Emmanuel Macron’s expert commission on major economic challenges. She was made a Dame in the 2021 New Year’s Honours for her contributions to economics and public health.

This article was first published on 9 March by Imperial College London.