Claire Craig
Claire Craig | |
|---|---|
| Born | 1961 |
| Nationality | British |
| Occupation(s) | Geophysicist, public sector official, science communicator |
| Years active | 1986–present |
| Known for | Provost of The Queen's College, Oxford (2019–2025), director of the Government Office for Science, Chief Science Policy Officer at the Royal Society |
| Awards | Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE), Honorary Doctorate of Science from University of Bath |
Claire Harvey Craig (born 1961) is a British expert in geophysics, a public sector official, and a prominent science communicator. She held the position of Provost at The Queen's College, Oxford from 2019 until 2025.
Education
Craig attended Redland High School for Girls before enrolling at Newnham College, Cambridge, where she obtained a Bachelor of Arts degree in Natural Sciences in 1982. She earned her Ph.D. from Cambridge in 1985, specializing in numerical simulations related to mantle convection and the geoid.
Career and research
Between 1986 and 1987, Craig was a postdoctoral research fellow at the University of Texas at Austin. From 1997 to 1999, she worked as an associate at McKinsey & Company. Her career includes leadership roles such as director of the Government Office for Science and Chief Science Policy Officer at the Royal Society. Additionally, she serves on the AI Council, providing guidance to the UK government on AI policy.
In 2018, she was elected Provost of The Queen's College, Oxford, becoming the first female to assume this role starting August 2019. She declared her plan to resign during the following academic year, with economist Paul Johnson appointed as her successor effective 2 August 2025.
Awards and honours
Craig was honoured as a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2006 Birthday Honours for her pivotal role in leading Foresight, the UK government's program focused on scientific futures. In 2021, she was awarded an Honorary Doctorate of Science by the University of Bath.
Personal life
In 1999, Craig married Christopher Diacopoulos.