I think it is normal for any look forward to be preceded by a brief look back. In particular, I would like to start by thanking Professor Peter Marsden for his inspirational leadership and hard work over the last two years. This is a time of change for SRP and so Peter’s workload has been even more difficult and onerous than that usually encountered by an SRP President.

We are all aware that the SRP has been a Royal Chartered organisation for some years now. As you may know, the Charter lists the SRP’s objectives and deliverables. However, it is only relatively recently that we have clearly understood what the Charter fully means for us. This has led Council to take a more detailed look at the governance of SRP, which in turn has led to changes in how we operate – and there are certainly more changes to come over the next two years. My undertaking is to communicate these proposed changes to you, to seek your input and your support. I wish to be as inclusive and transparent as possible, and most importantly I want to listen to the views of the membership. The aforementioned changes are inherent within our current Strategic Plan which will run until 2017. I aspire to lead in the proactive implementation of the outstanding objectives of this plan over the next two years, and in addition I will endeavour to begin the formulation of the next phase.

I am aware that SRP operates largely on the goodwill of its members and I thank you for that. Future developments will require extra volunteer support and I’m keen to encourage more members to get involved with the Society’s business. Even if you can’t attend meetings or events, your support by commenting on (and hopefully agreeing to) the proposed developments is really valuable. Please let me know your views. With your support, we can do things better and the Society will grow.

In my early RP career I must confess to being terrified. The weight of the responsibility of advising radiation employers was huge. Then I joined SRP. The relief was immediate. I had, literally at my fingertips, this fantastic resource – the collective knowledge and experience of the membership. If I had a problem with which I was struggling then the chances were that many others in the membership had previously had the same problem, already solved it, and were happy to share their solution with me. I didn’t feel alone any longer. But I remember those early days when I was scared and lonely – and that’s why supporting our members who are in the early/middle parts of their careers is one of my priorities.

We must not forget that SRP is not only a professional society but also a registered charity, and as such we have a duty to advance and disseminate knowledge of radiation protection to the public advantage. This leads me to another theme that I am eager to pursue – outreach. Outreach is more complex than it sounds and I believe that it includes ‘in-reach’. So as well as further work with schools and universities, engaging with employers, government and the general public, I hope that we can develop new and better ways to support the needs and wellbeing of the membership. Part of this is in improving our internal communications, and I am very supportive of our continuing website developments, our endeavours with new training courses, and our progress in promoting our profession.

I look forward to working with you over the next two years.

Pete Cole  president@srp-uk.org

Pete Cole Biography

Professor Pete Cole, PhD, CPhys, CRadP, CSci, FSRP, MInstP, MIPEM, Radiation Protection Officer at the University of Liverpool, took up the role of President of SRP at the Annual General Meeting in Eastbourne on 19th May 2015. He is a former member of the SRP’s Research and Teaching Sectorial Committee and the SRP’s Non-Ionising Radiation Topic Group. In addition, he is a former member of the Association of University Radiation Protection Officers (AURPO) Executive Committee.

A proud Manxman, Pete attended Castle Rushen High School in Castletown before going to the University of Manchester, where he followed an honours degree in Physics with a doctorate in medical physics. In 1992, after a post-doctoral research post at Oxford University he joined Integrated Radiological Services Ltd working in the healthcare sector. He has been the University of Liverpool’s Radiation Protection Officer since 2000, acting as the university’s RPA, RWA and LPA. Pete is also an RPA, LPA and RWA assessor for the HSE approved and Environment Agency approved assessment body RPA2000, and he is the External Examiner for the University of Cumbria degree course (FdSc/BSc) in Radiation Protection. He is a co-author of the sixth edition of the textbook “An Introduction to Radiation Protection” published by Taylor and Francis in 2012 (ISBN-13 978 1 444 146 073) and has published many papers

Pete introduced his forward look in characteristic style.  “Our Society is precious, professionally run for professional people” he said “As with that other well-loved institution, Doctor Who, some members can get anxious when a younger incumbent with a different face, style and accent comes along, but rest assured any Daleks had better watch out. I aim to increase our profile with the public and build on our existing work to encourage young people to consider a career in our area of expertise.” As part of this, Pete is currently developing a three-year undergraduate degree entitled “Physics with Radiation Protection” (UCAS Code: F351) for the Department of Physics at the University of Liverpool. He also represents the UK on the international judging panel for International Radiation Protection Association’s ‘Young Professionals and Scientists Award’.

Age 49 and married with two children Pete lives in the Liverpool suburb of Woolton with his wife Marie. Spare time is hard to find but his interests include writing novels, SCUBA diving and motor sports.