Dr Ian Archer

He brings a wealth of experience in industrial chemistry, biotechnology, and the commercialisation of scientific research.

Dr Archer expressed his enthusiasm for the role, stating his career-long passion for “transforming research science and technology into tangible outputs that create value and impact”. He aims to apply his expertise in process development and techno-economics to support sustainable innovation, minimising environmental impact while fostering growth.

A synthetic organic chemist with a PhD from Imperial College, London, Dr Archer’s career includes leading a process development group at Zeneca and heading bioprocess development at Ingenza, where he scaled multiple bio-processes and acted as a key liaison between industry clients and scientists. More recently, he was CEO of the BioConnect Innovation Centre in Co. Monaghan, supporting agri-food innovation, and Technical Director of Scotland’s Industrial Biotechnology Innovation Centre from 2015 to 2023, overseeing its technical strategy and a £25 million skills programme. He holds several patents in process development and biotechnology.

Head of James Hutton Ltd, Dr Jonathan Snape, said: “Dr Archer is joining a dynamic, ambitious team.

“With his skill set, experience and excellent networks he will complement our existing staff and help drive forward exciting new developments at the Hutton on our Invergowrie and Craigiebuckler sites.”