After 10 years as Executive Director of the Campaign for Science and Engineering, Professor Sarah Main is leaving the role at the end of November 2023 to take up a new position as Vice President, Academic and Government Relations, UK at Elsevier, a global leader in research publishing and information analytics.
Sarah’s positive impact on CaSE has been huge. In her tenure the organisation has reached new heights and navigated challenging periods of change. Sarah leaves the organisation in a healthy position, with a clear strategy and vision for the coming years.
CaSE’s Deputy Executive Director, Dr Daniel Rathbone, will take over as Interim Executive Director following Sarah’s departure. A committee led by members of the CaSE Board are initiating a search plan to appoint a new Executive Director, details of which will be made available shortly.
“It has been a privilege to lead CaSE for the last 10 years. I have enjoyed it enormously through all the changing years. CaSE will continue to thrive: it is in a strong position in all dimensions, with great people in the team and real ambition for the future.
“CaSE’s successes are testament to the exceptional people who have made up the CaSE team over the years. Their energy and commitment has enabled CaSE to flourish and I would like to thank them all.
“In the coming months, I will support the team and the board through the transition to a new Executive Director, and I look forward to some exciting CaSE events, including our flagship annual lecture with Dame Angela McLean.
“My role at Elsevier marks a new chapter for me, and is one which shares a core purpose in advancing science and research to improve people’s lives and livelihoods. So I very much look forward to working alongside colleagues from across the research community in new ways to continue to put science at the heart of the UK’s future.”
Prof Sarah Main
“CaSE’s influence and success is in no small part due to the contributions of Sarah Main. For over 10 years, Sarah has driven some of CaSE’s biggest wins and helped the organisation navigate some very challenging working circumstances. Sarah has shaped CaSE into the robust and influential organisation it is today, closely connected to its membership. Sarah has been an inspirational leader and I have the greatest respect for her calm and well thought through views on a range of policy issues which she articulates so eloquently. Personally I will miss her wise counsel and the pleasure of working with her over a number of years, as I know her colleagues will also.
“On behalf of my fellow Trustees, and the CaSE staff, I would like to thank Sarah for her dedication and hard work, and wish her great luck and success in her new position.
“I am delighted that Daniel Rathbone, our current Deputy Executive Director, will be taking over the reins as Interim Executive Director. CaSE will be in very safe hands whilst we work to appoint Sarah’s permanent successor.”
Dr Bob Sorrell
CaSE Chair
“We are excited to welcome Sarah Main at Elsevier. She is greatly admired within the UK academic community, and her expertise and dedication has been widely recognized among her peers. With a wealth of experience, a commitment to excellence, and a passion for advancing knowledge, Sarah embodies the spirit of academic pursuit and scholarly achievement. As we embark on this exciting journey together, we look forward to the transformative impact Sarah will undoubtably have at Elsevier and the broader academic landscape in the UK.”
Ann Gabriel
Elsevier, Senior Vice President, Global Strategic Networks
“Firstly, I would like to thank Sarah for everything she has done for CaSE over the years. Working with her over the past four and a half years has been an absolute pleasure. Sarah leaves CaSE in a very strong position. I am excited to work closely with my excellent colleagues, CaSE’s trustees and our members to carry on the work we have been doing as an organisation, and lead CaSE through this interim period.”
Dr Daniel Rathbone
CaSE Deputy Executive Director
Notes:
Biography of Prof Main
Sarah Main has led the Campaign for Science and Engineering as Executive Director since 3rd June 2013.
Sarah trained as a molecular biologist and has worked with Cancer Research UK and the Medical Research Council (MRC). She later worked at the MRC and in Government on science funding.
Sarah has been an advisor for Government and think tanks, is a Fellow of the Royal Society of Biology, a Trustee of the British Science Association, and the Foundation for Science and Technology. She is an Honorary Professor at UCL and a Visiting Professor at the University of Westminster.
About CaSE
The Campaign for Science and Engineering (CaSE) works to put science and engineering at the heart of the UK’s future. Our membership spans 114 scientific organisations, including businesses, universities, learned societies and charities, as well as individual scientists and engineers. We specialise in developing non-partisan, responsive solutions that help research and innovation to thrive in ways that improve people’s lives and livelihoods.
About Elsevier
As a global leader in information and analytics, Elsevier helps researchers and healthcare professionals advance science and improve health outcomes for the benefit of society. We do this by facilitating insights and critical decision-making for customers across the global research and health ecosystems.
In everything we publish, we uphold the highest standards of quality and integrity. We bring that same rigor to our information analytics solutions for researchers, academic leaders, funders, R&D-intensive corporations, doctors, and nurses.
Elsevier employs 9,000 people worldwide, including over 2,500 technologists. We have supported the work of our research and health partners for more than 140 years. Growing from our roots in publishing, we offer knowledge and valuable analytics that help our users make breakthroughs and drive societal progress. Digital solutions such as ScienceDirect, Scopus, SciVal, ClinicalKey and Sherpath support strategic research management, R&D performance, clinical decision support, and health education. Researchers and healthcare professionals rely on over 2,800 journals, including The Lancet and Cell; 46,000+ eBook titles; and iconic reference works, such as Gray’s Anatomy. With the Elsevier Foundation and our external Inclusion & Diversity Advisory Board, we work in partnership with diverse stakeholders to advance inclusion and diversity in science, research and healthcare in developing countries and around the world.
Elsevier is part of RELX, a global provider of information-based analytics and decision tools for professional and business customers.
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