Deputy Director, Science & Engineering, Office for Product Safety and Standards, Department for Business and Trade

Wendy Middleton is Deputy Director Science & Engineering, Office for Product Safety and Standards, Department for Business and Trade, where she oversees the delivery and assurance of science and engineering activities and advice to support policy and regulatory decision-making on metrology, product safety and construction products. This includes externally commissioned research, testing and advice, alongside OPSS’ own research, product screening and testing activities at its newly refurbished Teddington laboratories, drawing on a broad range of technical expertise across multidisciplinary science and engineering teams, including a new emerging technology function and horizon scanning programme.

A biologist by background, Wendy joined the Civil Service in 2003 and has enjoyed a variety of science-policy roles across a range of topics including animal welfare, TSEs, bovine tuberculosis and climate science. She has also worked closely alongside two Departmental Chief Scientific Advisers, Professor Sir Ian Boyd previously in Defra and Professor John Loughhead in DECC/ BEIS. She is currently studying for a PhD in regulatory compliance behaviours at Anglia Ruskin University with Dr Paul Sanderson, a Research Associate at Cambridge Judge Business School.