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Director steps down as head of Roslin Institute

Professor Bruce Whitelaw will serve as Interim Director of the Roslin Institute.

Professor Bruce Whitelaw is to serve as Interim Director of the Roslin Institute, following the departure of Professor Eleanor Riley as Director.

Professor Riley is stepping down after leading the Institute for two and a half years, and will take up a post at the University of Edinburgh’s School of Biological Sciences, where she will maintain her research group.

Professor Whitelaw, currently the Institute’s Deputy Director (Partnerships), is an experienced scientific leader and led the Institute's Developmental Biology Division for 12 years.

I am pleased that Professor Bruce Whitelaw agreed to be Interim Director. I would like to take this opportunity to thank Professor Riley for all her efforts in support of the Institute and wider Easter Bush campus and of the College of Medicine and Veterinary Medicine.

Professor Moira WhyteHead of College of Medicine & Veterinary Medicine, University of Edinburgh

I am honoured to step in as Interim Director at Roslin, a world-leading research institute at the forefront of the fight against illness and disease in humans and animals. The Institute's research is at the frontier of bioscience, delivering transformative biotechnologies and translating these into real world applications. We are in an incredibly strong position, and with our partners in the BBSRC and other leading organisations, will continue to deliver on our goals. The impact of Roslin’s research pushes the boundaries of what can be achieved in the fields of animal health, wellbeing and sustainability – across agriculture, veterinary and human health sectors – and influences policy and practice around the globe.

Professor Bruce WhitelawInterim Director, Roslin Institute

On behalf of BBSRC I would like to thank Eleanor for her outstanding leadership of the Roslin Institute, reflected in the continuing world-class performance of the strategic research programmes BBSRC funds. I wish her the very best for the future and look forward to working with her successor to continue building our excellent partnership.

Professor Melanie WelhamExecutive Chair, Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council (BBSRC)

** The Roslin Institute receives strategic investment funding from the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council and it is part of the University of Edinburgh’s Royal (Dick) School of Veterinary Studies. **