John Beddington specialises in applying economics and biology to the sustainable management of natural resources. In addition to a lengthy career in academia, John has also advised a number of governments and international organisations on issues specific to resource management, as well as the UK government on a broader range of scientific issues.

From 2008–2013, John was Government Chief Scientific Adviser. During this time, he prepared the United Kingdom’s scientific response to the 2009 global swine flu pandemic, the disruptive eruptions of Icelandic volcano Eyjafjallajökull in 2010 and the 2011 Fukushima Daiichi nuclear disaster in Japan. He was appointed to CMG in 2004 for services to fisheries science and management, and knighted in 2010.