Sir John Peebles Arbuthnott, PPRSE, FRCPSG, FMedSci, FRCPath (born 8 April 1939) is a Scottish microbiologist, and was Principal of the University of Strathclyde. He succeeded Lord Wilson of Tillyorn as President of The Royal Society of Edinburgh in October 2011 and was succeeded by Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell in October 2014.
Arbuthnott was educated at Hyndland Senior Secondary School, Glasgow University (BSc, PhD), and Trinity College, Dublin (MA, ScD). In 1998 he was made a Knight Bachelor for services to education.
Whilst Principal and Vice-Chancellor of Strathclyde University, Arbuthnott chaired the National Review of Resource Allocation ("The Arbuthnott Report" and "the Arbuthnott Review") in December 1997, the principal task of which was to conduct an independent review of the way in which NHS money is allocated annually to the 14 Scottish NHS Boards. The resulting mechanism, known as the Arbuthnott Formula, assesses key indicators of population, inequality and deprivation of the areas covered by each of the boards to allocate money.
He was chair of the Arbuthnott Commission set up in 2004 to consider the consequences of having four separate voting systems for elections in Scotland and also different boundaries for Holyrood and Westminster constituencies.
Glasgow University:
Assistant lecturer, 1960–1963
Lecturer, 1963–1967
New York Medical Center: Visiting lecturer, 1966–1967
Royal Society of London: Research fellow, 1968–72
Glasgow University: Senior lecturer, Department of Bacteriology, 1972–1975
Trinity College, Dublin:
Professor of microbiology 1976-1988
Bursar, 1983–86
University of Nottingham: Professor of microbiology 1988-1991
University of Strathclyde, Glasgow: Principal and Vice-Chancellor, 1991–2000
Chairman, Expert Group on Labour’s plan for National Care Service
Chairman, Joint Information Systems Committee, 1993–98
Chairman, Greater Glasgow Health Board, November 2002-
Chairman, Commission Report on Boundary Differences and Voting Systems, 2005-6
Convener, Committee of Scottish Higher Education Principals, 1994–1996
Convener, National Review of Allocation of Health Resources in Scotland, 1997–1999
Vice Chairman, CVCP, 1997–99
Dr Campbell Christie and Arbuthnott [reports on public service delivery and resource allocation]
Secretary-Treasurer, Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland, 2000-
Member of the Council, Society of General Microbiology 1981-1986, (senior ed 1980-1984, treasurer 1987-1992)
Meetings secretary, Federation of European Microbiology Societies, 1986–1990
Member, Microbiological Safety of Food Committee, 1989–1990
Member, AFRC Animal Research Board, 1989–1992
Member, Public Health Laboratory Service Board, 1991–1997
Member, DTI Multimedia Advisroy Group, 1994–1996
Member, Educational Counselling Service Board, British Council, 1995–1996
Member, Glasgow Development Agency, 1995-
Member, National Committee of Inquiry into Higher Education, 1996–97
Member, Scottish Science Trust, 1999
Member, Pathological Society
Honorary fellow, Trinity College, Dublin 1992
MRIA 1985
FSB 1988
FRSA 1989
FRSE 1993
FIIB 1993
FRCPath 1995
Honorary degree of Lodz University of Technology, Poland, May 1995
Hon FRCPGlasg
St Mungo Prize 2010
Hon Doctor of Science St Margaret University, Edinburgh, July 2000
Arbuthnott, John Peebles; et al., eds. (1975). Isoelectric Focusing.
Arbuthnott, John Peebles; et al. (1983). The Determinants of Bacterial and Viral Pathogenicity.
Arbuthnott, John Peebles; et al. (1991). Foodborne Illness: a Lancet Review.
Arbuthnott, John Peebles (2015). Breaking The Mould.
Other papers and articles in journals and books
