BAE expert picked as science adviser for business and trade

Senior defence company engineer Julia Sutcliffe takes chief adviser role at newly created department

The government has followed up its appointment of a new chief scientist by naming an engineer from arms company BAE Systems as the top scientist at the Department for Business and Trade.

Julia Sutcliffe will be the chief scientific adviser at the department, which was created from two separate business and trade departments in prime minister Rishi Sunak’s recent Whitehall reshuffle.