Address of the President, Sir Michael Atiyah, given at the Anniversary meeting on 29 November 1991

Abstract

When I took over as President this time last year I realized that I had a very difficult act to follow. Under Lord Porter, the Royal Society had expanded its role in various directions and was playing a prominent part in national affairs. As one aspect of this I found myself immediately involved in setting up and steering a major Science Inquiry. While I might have preferred a gradual introduction into all the complex issues involved, I have instead undergone what can only be described as a crash course. As you may know, our Science Inquiry, which has a very broad remit, has solicited views from a wide range of individuals and organizations. The response has been quite impressive both in quantity and quality, and I personally have tried to read every contribution. As a result we have first-hand knowledge of the views of the scientific community and can clearly identify the issues that cause most concern. Digesting this material and producing a measured report will take a few more months and will no doubt provide suitable material for my Anniversary Address next year. In the interim you might like to know some of the issues which we are focusing on. We are very concerned with the position of the individual scientist at all stages in the scientific process. There are many serious questions about the recruitment, pay and conditions of Ph.D. students. This leads on to the even more difficult problems concerning post-doctoral Fellows and others on short-term appointments. The size of this group, as compared with tenured staff, has increased dramatically over the past decade, and this raises fundamental issues which must now be addressed.