Brian Follett

Sir Brian K Follett (born 1939) chairs the UK government's Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA) that is responsible for recruiting to the teaching profession (ca. 40,000 people per annum) , for the training of the wider workforce in schools and for the modernisation (change managemwent) of schools and implementation of such policies as "extended schools". He is a non-stipendiary Professor in the Department of Zoology at the University of Oxford. UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council. Follett was until December 2007 the chair of the UK's Arts and Humanities Research Council (AHRC), was formerly Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick from 1993 to 2001 and professor of zoology at University of Bristol from 1978 until 2003.

He chaired a government inquiry into the 2001 UK foot and mouth crisis entitled "The Royal Society Inquiry into Infectious Diseases in Livestock". This inquiry examined the scientific aspects of the crisis, for instance the efficacy of vaccinations, the way the virus spreads and so on.

Follett's research interests are in the reproductive biology of higher vertebrates, and in particular, seasonal breeding in birds and mammals.

Career and Awards

*1944-1957 - School education in Bournemouth, England
*1960 - BSc with 1st class hons in biochemistry (called biological chemistry at that time) from University of Bristol
*1964 - PhD in pharmacology from the University of Bristol
*1965-1969 Lecturer in Zoology, University of Leeds
*1969-1978 Lecturer, then Reader and then Professor - University of Wales, Bangor
*1978-1993 - Professor of Zoology and Head of Department at University of Bristol
*15 March 1984 - FRS
*1987-1993 - Biological Secretary, The Royal Society
*1992 - Knighted for services to science
*1993 to 2001 - Vice-Chancellor of the University of Warwick
*2001-2007 - Chairman of the Arts and Humanities Research Council
*2003-2009 - Chairman of the Training and Development Agency for Schools (TDA)
*Director for many years of the AFRC's Research Group on Photoperiodism and Reproduction. Published ca. 400 papers.

*Chaired a number of government enquiries including:
**two on university libraries (1993 and 2003, both for HEFCE and the other UK Funding Councils)
**one for the ESRC and the British Academy on the future of funding in the humanities and social sciences (1992)
**and one on the consequences of the Royal Liverpool Children's Hospital Inquiry in relation to academic and clinical careers in medicine (2001)

References

*"The Royal Society Inquiry into Infectious Diseases in Livestock". Reported July 2002. ISBN 0854035796.

External links

* [http://www.bris.ac.uk/cms/go/hon-degree/2005/jul-follett.html Webpage on Prof Brian Follett on "Bristol University" Website]
* [http://www.tda.gov.uk/about/organisation/brianfollett.aspx Webpage on Prof Brian Follett on "Training and Development Agency for Schools" website]