Wellcome Trust announces new head

Jeremy Farrar, professor of Tropical Medicine and Global Health at Oxford University, has been named as the next director of the Wellcome Trust. He replaces Mark Walport, who stood down earlier this year to take up the position as chief scientific advisor to the UK government.

As the long-standing director of the Oxford University Clinical Research Unit in Vietnam, Farrar has overseen major public health programs in this region, alongside researching infectious diseases including malaria, dengue and avian flu. He will join the Wellcome Trust on 1 October.

In a statement, Farrar said it will be ‘a privilege’ to lead the organisation. ‘As a scientist who is grateful to have received Trust funding for my own work, I know first-hand how its flexible support makes such achievements possible. I am honoured to be given the challenge of helping its talented staff and scientists to deliver further extraordinary advances in health,’ he said.