New Chair for the Academy of Social Sciences

The Council of the Academy is delighted to announce the appointment of Professor Cary Cooper CBE AcSS, the well known occupational health psychologist and media commentator, as its next Chair.

Professor Cooper is Distinguished Professor of Organizational Psychology and Health at Lancaster University, is Chair of the think tank The Sunningdale Institute in the National School of Government, and was lead scientist of the government's Foresight project on Mental Capital and Wellbeing.

He brings with him a strong advocate voice for the importance of the social sciences, having worked with UN and EU agencies, government departments and a number of national and international bodies. He was awarded the CBE by HM the Queen in 2001 for his contribution to organizational health and wellbeing. He writes regularly for The Times, The Director and other newspapers and magazines, and regularly appears on national radio and TV on topics to do with the workplace, health and work and wellbeing issues.

Professor Cooper is a long-standing Academician, from its very beginnings, and is a former President and co-founder of the British Academy of Management, a member learned society of the Academy. Professor Cooper is very keen on the topic of work-life balance, as a father of four children, and regularly goes with his daughter Laura to see their football team, Manchester City FC: this might explain why he is a national expert on stress!

Speaking of Professor Cooper's appointment, the President of the Academy, Professor Sir Howard Newby AcSS, said, "I am delighted that Professor Cary Cooper will be the next Chair. A long-standing Academician, Cary will bring energy and profile to the Academy's public benefit activities, born of long experience of all kinds of media and public affairs, including significant involvements with Government for his evidence-based research on stress in the workplace."