In December 2003, John Taylor completed his five year term as Director General of Research Councils in the UK Office of Science and Technology and chairman of Research Councils UK. He was responsible for the UK government Science Budget of around £3 billion per year and the seven UK Research Councils which fund research across the whole spectrum of science and technology in UK universities and research institutes. He advised the Secretary of State for Trade and Industry and Cabinet minister for Science directly on all aspect of the science budget. He was also the director of the Foresight project on Cognitive Systems; the UK representative on the EU Expert Group set up to examine the requirements for the future European Research Council; and the government representative on the Board of the Cambridge MIT Institute (CMI).
John Taylor was knighted in 2004 for services to scientific research. He is currently chairman of Roke Manor Research Ltd; a non-executive director on the main board of Rolls Royce; and a member of Council of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He is an honorary fellow of Emmanuel College, Cambridge and a visiting professor at Oxford University.
From 1984 to 1998 he was director of Hewlett Packard Laboratories Bristol, the European arm of HP’s worldwide long range research laboratories, where he developed major programs of research in the areas of information utilities, information appliances and mathematics, including internet security, wireless communications, telecommunications and personal digital imaging. Earlier, he lead various research groups at RSRE and ASWE in areas including secure computing and communications, and command and control.
He was chairman of the Shadow Science and Industry Council for the UK South West Regional Development Agency in 2004-5. He was President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers in 1998-9, and chaired the UK Technology Foresight Panel in IT Electronics and Communications until December 1998.
He read Electrical Sciences at Emmanuel College, Cambridge and completed his PhD at Cambridge University Engineering Dept in 1969. He holds a number of honorary doctorates. “Who’s Who” gives his interests as sailing, photography, music and family. He and his wife Judy have 4 children and 9 grandchildren.