Chief Scientific Adviser for Marine

Professor Mark Inall was appointed Chief Scientific Adviser (CSA) Marine in July 2024.

Responsiblilities

Professor Inall provides independent science advice on issues related to marine and freshwater policy areas. He champions the use of evidence to inform policy development and delivery towards meeting Scotland’s Blue Economy Vision and addressing climate change and biodiversity loss in marine environments.

This is a part-time position (three days a week) and Professor Inall retains his role as Marine Physicist at the Scottish Association for Marine Science (SAMS) in Oban.

Biography

Professor Inall is a leading marine physicist with 34 years of experience in physical oceanography. He leads the marine physics research group at SAMS and is formerly Director of the Scottish Alliance for Geoscience, Environment and Society (SAGES).

He was educated at the University of Edinburgh (BSc in Physics) and the University of Southampton (MSc and PhD in Physical Oceanography). His career includes research positions at the Universities of Cambridge, Bangor, and Victoria (British Columbia).

For over 30 years, his research has focused on marine mixing processes in the context of exchange of water between the deep ocean, coastal seas and coastal embayments (sea lochs, estuaries, fjords). He has been in the vanguard of using marine autonomy to explore these systems in novel ways.

Professor Inall has authored over 100 journal articles and has an H-index of 40. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Fellow of the Higher Education Academy and an Honorary Professor in the College of Science and Engineering at the University of Edinburgh.

Professor Inall is Chair of the NOC Association, a former chair of the NERC Marine Facilities Advisory Board, and the Marine Sensors Board. He spent 4 years as member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council. His teaching activities include lecturing on the Marine Science degree at the University of Highlands and Islands, which he co-developed.

Professor Inall's appointment as Chief Scientific Adviser Marine underscores the Scottish Government's commitment to using scientific evidence in guiding marine policy and contributing to the Blue Economy Vision for Scotland.