Dr Phil Botham

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 background in chemical and agrochemical human safety and has specific technical expertise in acute toxicity, sensitisation, immunotoxicology and in vitro alternatives.
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 is currently chair of the Crop Life International (CLI) Human Health Team and until May 2019 also chaired the European Crop Protection Association (ECPA) Toxicology Expert Group; he continues to support ECPA as a senior technical advisor. Since 2017 he joined the European Centre for Ecotoxicology and Toxicology of Chemicals (ECETOC) Scientific Committee, having previously been a chair or member of several ECETOC Task Forces. In 2017 he was also appointed as a member of the UK Food Standards Agency Committee on Toxicity (CoT). 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. He is a referee for several journals, including Toxicology In Vitro.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. He has made a number of presentations at BTS meetings during this time and has also supported many presentations and posters by members of his Syngenta team. He continues to act as the BTS Ambassador within Syngenta. Since 2017 he has chaired the BTS Public Communications team which is responsible for the commissioning and peer-review of Public Position Statements which are published on the BTS website as a regular activity of the Society. Phil is also a member of the Society of Toxicology and attends and presents at both SoT and Eurotox meetings.