Professor Sir David King was appointed as the government’s Chief Scientific Advisor and head of The Office of Science and Technology in October 2000. After an early career at The University of Witwatersrand, Imperial College and The University of East Anglia, he became the Brunner Professor of Physical Chemistry at The University of Liverpool in 1974. In 1988, he was appointed 1920 Professor of Physical Chemistry at The University of Cambridge, and subsequently became Master of Downing College, and head of the university’s chemistry department (1993-2000).

Read an excerpt from Prof Sir David King’s guest essay on climate change and physical environment.