President and Officers
The Society has five Honorary Officers.
President
Professor Dame Elan Closs Stephens CBE FRSA FLSW DBE
Dame Elan was born in Gwynedd and is one of Wales’ most distinguished public servants, with vast experience within the media, politics and higher education. Among her many roles, she is currently the Electoral Commissioner for Wales, was interim Chair of the BBC between 2023 – 2024 and is Emerita Professor of Communications and Creative Industries at Aberystwyth University, where she is also Pro-Chancellor.
Vice-President – Humanities, Arts and Social Sciences
Professor Sara Elin Roberts FRHistS FHEA FLSW
Professor Roberts is a leading scholar of medieval Welsh law and literature. Her research focuses on the legal culture of medieval Wales, particularly Cyfraith Hywel, and she is the author of several influential monographs on Cyfraith Hywel, including The Growth of Law in Medieval Wales (2022), which was awarded the Hywel Dda Prize. She also has extensive expertise in Middle Welsh poetry, and was one of the editors of the new edition of the poetry of Dafydd ap Gwilym in 2006. Read more
Vice-President – Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics and Medicine
Professor Rob Beynon FLSW
Rob Beynon earned his BSc and PhD in biochemistry at Cardiff University. He began his career as a lecturer at the University of Liverpool in 1977 and in 1993 was appointed to the Chair of Biochemistry at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology. His last appointment was as Chair of Proteomics, University of Liverpool from 1999 to 2019. His main areas of research are in the areas of protein chemistry, proteomics, proteolysis, and proteolytic enzymes.
He pioneered the understanding of protein dynamics on a global, proteome wide scale and of developing relevant methods in intact animals and complex systems. He developed a wholly new strategy for multiplexed absolute quantification in proteomics (QconCAT) that has been applied to diverse areas of protein science.
His ‘most cited’ work has been a website for the calculation of thermodynamically correct buffers (www.phbuffers.org) has helped the scientific community across the world to prepare over one and a quarter million litres of buffer!
General Secretary
Professor Faron Moller FBCS FIMA FLSW
Faron Moller is a Professor of Computer Science at Swansea University within the Theoretical Computer Science Group, where he is the Founding Head of the Swansea Railway Verification.
Faron is also Director of Technocamps, a pan-Wales schools and community outreach programme based at Swansea University but with hubs in every university in Wales. He is also Head of the Institute of Coding in Wales, which represents the business engagement arm of Technocamps, and co-Lead of the Research Theme on Educational, Historical and Philosophical Foundations of Computer Science, which represents the research arm of Technocamps. Read more
Treasurer
Dr Sally Davies FRCP FLSW
Dr Sally Davies, formally known as Sarah Jane Clyburn, undertook her medical studies in Cambridge University and the London Hospital Whitechapel. Initially working in London and Oxford, she returned to Cardiff in 1985. She went on to specialise in clinical genetics, becoming a Consultant in the Wales Medical Genetics Service as well as Sub Dean in the School of Postgraduate Medical and Dental Education in Cardiff University. Sally was proud to be the President of the Medical Women’s Federation 2014-2016.