HANDING OVER THE U.K. CHEMIST’S BATON

Abstract

ON JUNE 1, Britain gets a new government chemist. Derek Craston, whose Ph.D. is in enzyme electrochemistry and who joined the Laboratory of the Government Chemist in 1991, takes over the post from John Marriott. Marriott is retiring after six years as government chemist and R&D director at LGC, as the organization is now known. As government appointments go, it’s pretty low profile. Housed in a neat block of offices and labs in the leafy London suburb of Teddington, LGC is an enigma to many local residents. Some, in fact, are convinced it’s a top-secret facility. Top secret, however, it is not, despite the security typical these days for a chemistry research lab. Instead, LGC is busy maintaining its expertise in cutting-edge chemical analysis serving both the British government and, increasingly, a global customer base. The appointment of Craston by the U.K.’s secretary of state for the Department of Innovation, Universities & Skills (DIUS) coincides ...