BGS welcomes two new board appointments for 2023
Prof Carol Frost, professor emerita of the faculty of geology and geophysics at the University of Wyoming, and Dr Jenny Pyper, former CEO of the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland and interim head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, will take up their positions on the BGS Board from 1 March 2023.
22/02/2023 By BGS Press![BGS Keyworth Geological Walk](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/KW_concourse.jpg)
BGS today welcomes two new non-executive directors to the BGS Board.
Prof Carol Frost, professor emerita of the faculty of geology and geophysics at the University of Wyoming, and Dr Jenny Pyper, former CEO of the Utility Regulator for Northern Ireland and interim head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service, will take up their positions on the BGS Board from 1 March 2023.
They succeed David Simpson and Dr Donna Kirkwood, who will step down from the BGS Board at the end of February 2023, having served since its formation in 2018.
Alongside these appointments, NERC has reappointed Sir Keith O’Nions as the BGS Board Chair until September 2025.
Prof Carol Frost
![Prof Carol Frost © Ted Brummond, University of Wyoming, Photo Service; used with kind permission.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/Prof-Carol-Frost-640x960.jpg)
Prof Carol Frost. © Ted Brummond, University of Wyoming, Photo Service; used with kind permission.
Carol earned her BA from Dartmouth College and PhD from Cambridge University, both in earth sciences, and joined the faculty of geology and geophysics at the University of Wyoming in 1983. She became a professor emerita of the university in 2020. Carol served as division director for earth sciences at the National Science Foundation in Washington, D.C. from 2014 to 2018, overseeing the merit review process for basic research and education awards to scientists at universities and research institutions in the United States.
In 2006, Carol became the founding director of the School of Energy Resources at the University of Wyoming, where she implemented the strategic plan for the school and launched a major research programme in carbon sequestration. Prior administrative positions include vice president for special projects, associate provost and associate vice president of research, all at the University of Wyoming.
A fellow of the Mineralogical Society of America, Geological Society of America, and the Geochemical Society, Carol is also a past president of the Mineralogical Society of America, chair of the American Geophysical Union’s publications committee, and a councillor for the Geological Society of America.
Carol’s current research focuses on the Precambrian evolution of the continental crust and granite petrogenesis.
Dr Jenny Pyper
![Dr Jenny Pyper © Ulster University; used with kind permission.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2023/02/dr-jenny-pyper.jpg)
Dr Jenny Pyper. © Ulster University; used with kind permission.
Prior to her retirement in September 2021, Jenny served as the interim Head of the Northern Ireland Civil Service (NICS) and secretary to the Northern Ireland Executive, the first woman to occupy the role in the 100-year history of the service. She led an organisation of some 23 000 civil servants for 10 months, delivering public services across Northern Ireland (NI) during some of the most difficult periods of the COVID-19 pandemic.
A geography science graduate of Queen’s University Belfast, Jenny joined the NICS from university and was appointed in 2004 as the Director of Energy Policy for NI where she managed policy and legislative responsibilities in relation to the electricity, gas and renewable energy industries for over six years. This included leading the creation of the ground-breaking Single Electricity Market (SEM) on the island of Ireland in 2007. Jenny was subsequently promoted to deputy Permanent Secretary with responsibility for urban regeneration and community development across NI.
She left the NICS in 2013 to become Chief Executive Officer of the Utility Regulator, responsible for the economic regulation of NI’s electricity, gas, water and sewerage industries. Amongst other roles, Jenny oversaw the Gas to the West project, which significantly expanded the gas network across NI, as well as significant investment in renewable electricity technologies including substantial changes to the capacity of the all-island electricity grid. Appointed jointly by Ministers in both NI and the Republic of Ireland, she served for seven years on the all-island electricity market regulatory body, the SEM Committee.
Jenny has been Pro-Chancellor and Chair of Council for Ulster University since July 2020. The university recognised her contribution to public services in June 2022 with the award of an honorary doctorate (DUniv).
Jenny is a Fellow of the Geological Society of London (FGS) and the Energy Institute (FEI).
Related news
![Landslide aftermath. © Timo Volz, Unsplash](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/landslide-aftermath-timo-volz-unsplash.webp)
Studying multi-hazards from space
25/07/2024
A new European Space Agency-funded project will study the effect earthquakes have on occurrences of other natural hazards in the long-term.
![Scottish river in low flow. © Paul Glendell](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/scottish-river-in-low-flow.webp)
Warnings for Scottish farmers and distillers as new data indicates climate change may double number of droughts
23/07/2024
The agricultural and distilling sectors could face significant challenges after research finds the number of droughts in Scotland may double in the next 25 years.
![North Sea Transition Authority](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/NSTA_image.jpg)
National Hydrocarbons Data Archive files now accessible through the National Data Repository
15/07/2024
Offshore well and survey information held within BGS’s archive have now been transferred to the North Sea Transition Authority’s National Data Repository to enable greater access.
![Seabed geomorphology from part of the central area of the Offshore East Anglia seabed map. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/07/seabed-geomorphology-offshore-East-Anglia-seabed-map-feature.webp)
New research reveals the secrets of the seabed off the East Anglian coast
11/07/2024
New geological map will help in the hunt for new renewable energy opportunities whilst protecting delicate marine ecosystems.
![GitHub logo](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2021/12/GitHub_logo.jpg)
Update released for BGS open-source database software, ETL Helper
09/07/2024
The software tool helps simplify the process of data transfer into and out of databases.
![Screenshot of the AGS4 file utilities tool and API with map markers over the UK.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/ags4-file-utilities-and-api.webp)
Update to BGS’s AGS file utilities tool released
19/06/2024
BGS has released significant updates to its online tool for validating geotechnical data held as AGS files. The update includes improvements to the tool’s user interface and the ability to convert AGS data into MS Excel files.
![Murrayfield Stadium located in Edinburgh, Scotland - © Thomas Feige / iStock.com](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/Murrayfield_Stadium.jpg)
Quake it off: Taylor Swift concerts shake Edinburgh
13/06/2024
Seismometers around Edinburgh were triggered by the rapturous Murrayfield crowds over the weekend.
![Visitors taking part in the demonstration in BGS’s conference suit. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/P1051253-sized.webp)
BGS opens its doors to visitors at its Open Day in Keyworth
12/06/2024
BGS hosted its bi-annual Open Day on 8 June 2024, welcoming more than 1000 visitors to its headquarters in Keyworth, Nottinghamshire.
![Geologists at St Cyrus Beach. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/IMG_20240222_122824.webp)
BGS to update geological maps of Strathmore
10/06/2024
A three-year project has begun to revise geological maps of Strathmore, which were last surveyed nearly 100 years ago.
![Technical reports released by BGS. BGS © UKRI](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/DSSS8523-resized.webp)
BGS’s National Geoscience Data Centre releases over 8000 technical reports
05/06/2024
The technical reports, covering the full spectrum of BGS activities and subjects, were produced between 1950 and 2000.
![Hemerdon mine, Devon. BGS © UKRI.](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/06/tungsten-hemerdon-mine-hemerdon-devon-tungsten-west.webp)
UK Minerals Yearbook 2023 now available to download
04/06/2024
The latest edition provides essential information about the production, consumption and trade of UK minerals up to 2022.
![Map showing rock type and lithology](https://www.bgs.ac.uk/wp-content/uploads/2024/05/data-from-bgs-geology-625k.webp)
BGS announces collaboration with Ordnance Survey
29/05/2024
Ordnance Survey and BGS have teamed up to add a range of geological data products to the OS Data Hub, making it easier for users to access and use geospatial data.