Professor Jas Pal Badyal FRS Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales

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Advises the Welsh Government on scientific issues across departments.

The Chief Scientific Adviser for Wales (CSAW):

  • provides scientific advice to the First Minister, his Cabinet and the wider Welsh Government
  • leads, influences and supports the setting of the scientific priorities for Wales.
  • works with science, research and innovation policy leads across Welsh Government
  • leads on developing proposals for a coherent and strategic approach to Welsh Government’s Science and Research policy.
  • works with policy and science leads across Welsh Government to develop proposals on the role of science and research in tackling global challenges such as:
    • climate change,
    • human health care,
    • protecting ecosystems,
    • provision of sustainable energy supplies linked to decarbonisation goals.
  • promotes science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) subjects
  • works with UK’sChief Scientific Adviser and liaises with Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers in the UK Government
  • is the head of profession for science and technology staff across Wales and the Welsh Government

Jas Pal Badyal was awarded a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1985, gaining his Doctorate (PhD) in 1988, both from Cambridge University. He held a King’s College Fellowship and the Oppenheimer Fellowship. In 1989 he moved to Durham University to take up a lectureship and was promoted to Full Professor in 1996.

He is internationally recognised for his pioneering research on the:

  • functionalisation of solid surfaces
  • deposition of functional nanolayers.

Jas Pal has invented many novel surfaces for technological and societal applications. These have been underpinned by the investigation of fundamental mechanisms and scale-up.  Examples include:

  • antibacterial
  • fog harvesting
  • catalysis
  • non-fouling
  • optochiral switches
  • filtration
  • biochips
  • super-repellency
  • nano-actuation

Professor Badyal is the fourth CSAW, his predecessors are:

  • Professor Peter Halligan from March 2018 to February 2022, a distinguished psychologist and neuroscientist
  • Professor Julie Williams from September 2013 to September 2017, a leading Alzheimer's researcher
  • Professor John Harries from May 2010 to April 2013, a distinguished atmospheric physicist.