We are pleased to announce that Prof. John Quinton has been elected as the next British Society of Soil Science President-Elect. John was confirmed as the winner of the presidential election at the Society’s 80th Annual General Meeting in Sheffield in July, after receiving a majority vote against two other exceptional candidates. John will now become President-Elect of the Society for 2027-2028, then President in 2029-2030.
John is an internationally recognised soil scientist with over 35 years of experience in soil sustainability, soil degradation, pedology, carbon sequestration, soil monitoring and restoration. His leadership spans academic governance, journal founding, REF panel service, charity chairmanship, industry collaboration, and national policy engagement. He brings extensive experience in building research communities, mentoring the next generation of soil scientists, and translating soil science into policy and practice.
It is fantastic to have John confirmed as President-Elect and we wish him well in the post. From January 2027, he will take over from Dr. Lizzie Sagoo as President-Elect who will be taking over from Prof. Paul Hallett as President.
In statement, John said
I’m really excited to have been elected as BSSS President – it is a real honour for me. I have been a member of BSSS since 1988 and it has been a big part of my life. I’m really keen in my presidency to carry on the good work that past presidents and past BSSS members have contributed to. But I particularly want to focus on that pipeline of young soil scientists and how we get those people into really good quality jobs and research areas. So I’m really looking forward to the next few years and being able to give back to BSSS some of what it has given me over my career as a soil scientist, and I look forward to working with all BSSS members to help the Society go from strength to strength.
