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The long-awaited appointment will see Duncan Wingham take up the post for a four-year term, starting on 1 January 2012.

The position has been filled by interim chief executive Steven Wilson since July, when Alan Thorpe moved to the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts.

Professor Wingham, who will also serve as the Nerc¡¯s deputy chair, is professor of climate physics at University College London, and the founder and former director of the research council¡¯s Centre for Polar Observation and Modelling.

An expert on the behaviour of the Antarctic and Arctic ice sheets and sea ice, he said it was ¡°an honour¡± to head up the council.

¡°Environmental science lies increasingly at the heart of many of the challenges and opportunities that face us today, and Nerc must continue to play a leading role in developing this science, and ensuring the widest possible impact of its work,¡± he said.

David Willetts, the universities and science minister, said Professor Wingham¡¯s knowledge and expertise would be ¡°vital in leading an organisation that funds world-class science and increases knowledge and understanding of the natural world¡±.

john.gill@tsleducation.com