Dr Phil Botham

President

Dr Phil Botham is currently Principal Science Advisor for Syngenta’s Global Product Safety organisation, based at the company’s international research centre at Jealott’s Hill. From 2013 to 2017, he was the Global Head of Product Safety for Syngenta, managing a team of over 300 experts in human and environmental safety based mainly in the UK, North America and Brazil.

Previously he held a number of senior leadership roles in Syngenta and its legacy companies in the area of human safety and toxicology, from 1980 until 2007 at the Central Toxicology Laboratory in Alderley Park and from 2007 at Jealott’s Hill. He has a broad technical background in chemical and agrochemical human safety.

Phil received his PhD in biochemistry from the University of Hull in 1978 and his BSc in biochemistry from the University of Bangor in 1975. He has published more than 140 peer-reviewed papers and was appointed as a Fellow of the Royal College of Pathologists in 2001 in recognition of his publication record in the field of toxicology. He has chaired  the Crop Life International (CLI) and Crop Life Europe Human Health Expert Groups and continues to support them as a senior technical advisor.

In 2017 he joined the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) Scientific Committee, having previously been a chair and member of several ECETOC Task Forces. From 2017 to 2024 he was a member of the UK Food Standards Agency Committee on Toxicity (CoT) and now provides expertise as a co-opted member. From 2009 to 2014 he was on the UK National Centre for the 3Rs in Research (NC3Rs) Board, and from 1993 to 2002 he was a member of the European Centre for the Validation of Alternative Methods (ECVAM) Scientific Advisory Committee.

Phil has been a member of the British Toxicology Society for over 30 years, and was appointed as a Fellow of the Society in 2006, was Vice-President from 2022 to 2024 and is now President.  From 2017 to 2023, he chaired the BTS Public Communications Steering Team and continues as a member. Phil is also a member of the Society of Toxicology.