Select campus:UKDubai
University of Birmingham
Menu

Professor Robin May to join UK Health Security Agency (UKHSA) as Chief Scientific Officer

Experienced academic has been Food Standards Agency Chief Scientific Adviser for the last five years and will move to UKHSA in September

21 July 2025
Portrait of man in a suit looking at camera

Infectious Disease expert Professor Robin May will be joining the UK Health Services Agency as Interim Chief Scientific Officer in September on a one-year appointment.

Professor May is currently Chief Scientific Adviser at the Food Standards Agency (FSA), a position he has held since July 2020. As FSA Chief Scientific Adviser, Professor May provides scientific advice across the full spectrum of food safety and standards, including assessment of chemical contaminants, toxicological risks, carcinogens, and microbiological hazards. He works closely with other departmental Chief Scientific Advisers and the Government Chief Scientific Adviser on broader policy issues.

Professor May is Professor of Infectious Disease at the University of Birmingham with research expertise spanning microbiology and infection, with broader experience in scientific risk assessment and evidence-based policy development.

The agency plays a vital role in protecting public health across the UK, and I'm excited about being able to contribute to that mission during this important period.

Professor Robin May

Professor Robin May from the University of Birmingham said: "I'm delighted to be joining UKHSA as Interim Chief Scientific Officer. The agency plays a vital role in protecting public health across the UK, and I'm excited about being able to contribute to that mission during this important period. I look forward to working with the talented teams at UKHSA and supporting the agency's invaluable work in safeguarding the nation's health."

Extensive experience

Professor May has a strong interest in pathogen surveillance and antimicrobial resistance, having played a key role in cross-government programmes such as PATH-SAFE, a 4-year, cross-government and UK wide programme to improve surveillance of foodborne pathogens and antimicrobial resistance. Professor May is a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences and the American Academy of Microbiology, is also an enthusiastic science communicator and is currently serving as the 39th Gresham Professor of Physic, continuing a 425-year tradition of providing free public lectures on medicine and biology.

Professor William Bloss, Head of the College of Life and Environmental Sciences at the University of Birmingham said: “Robin May will bring the Birmingham quality to his new role at UKHSA, with his established expertise in human infectious diseases and extensive experience from the Food Standards Agency. It speaks volumes about Robin’s qualities that he will be joining UKHSA after five years at FSA, and at a critical time for the provision and communication of rigorous scientific knowledge and understanding to inform policy and protect health.”

Notes for editors

  • For media enquiries please contact Tim Mayo, Press Office, University of Birmingham, tel: +44 (0)7815 607 157.
  • The University of Birmingham is ranked amongst the world’s top 100 institutions. Its work brings people from across the world to Birmingham, including researchers, educators and more than 40,000 students from over 150 countries.
  • England’s first civic university, the University of Birmingham is proud to be rooted in of one of the most dynamic and diverse cities in the country. A member of the Russell Group and a founding member of the Universitas 21 global network of research universities, the University of Birmingham has been changing the way the world works for more than a century.

Featured staff

  • Professor Robin May

    Professor of Infectious Disease

    Professor May's research centres on human infectious diseases, with a particular focus on how specific pathogens subvert the human immune response.

    Phone: +44 (0)121 41 45418
    Email:

Related news