John Peterson takes the helm at Iupac

The new executive director of the International Union of Pure and Applied Chemistry (Iupac), John Peterson, takes office today. He succeeds Terrence Renner, who will remain in-post as a mentor and consultant to Peterson before retiring at the end of the year.

Peterson joins Iupac from the Research Triangle Institute in North Carolina, US, where he oversaw collaborative and outreach activities. Peterson believes that his experience of working between government, universities and across the breadth of the chemistry sector will be invaluable in his new role. ‘It is exciting when one has the opportunity to interact with creative individuals and groups while assisting in the formulation of the strategies to implement goals,’ he said in a press release.