Biography:

Dr. Peter McGrath obtained his BSc (honors) in Agricultural Zoology from the University of Glasgow, UK, and followed this with a PhD from the University of Leeds, UK, in 1989.

His 10-year research career included postdoctoral positions at the Scottish Crop Research Institute, Dundee, UK, as well as Purdue University and the University of Arizona in the USA.

Returning to the UK in 1997, he established his own business as a freelance journalist focusing on agricultural, environmental, and scientific issues.

The experience he gained in communicating scientific issues to non-specialist audiences made him an ideal fit for his first position at TWAS (2003), as writer/editor in the Public Information Office.

From 2006, he began overseeing the implementation of TWAS�s core programs, including South-South fellowships and other exchange schemes, research grants and various prizes, as well as the activities of the Organization for Women in Science for the Developing World (OWSD). During this time, he helped expand these programs and developed new partnerships and activities. He was appointed as coordinator of the TWAS Science Policy/Science Diplomacy program when it was established in 2011.

In 2013, he switched to become coordinator of the InterAcademy Partnership (IAP), a global network of academies of science, medicine, and engineering, also based in Trieste. IAP is dedicated to providing evidence-based recommendations on scientific issues to policymakers. As well as his IAP duties, he retains his position as coordinator of the TWAS Science Diplomacy Initiative, including acting as the focal point for an EU Horizon 2020 science diplomacy project, S4D4C.

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