He moved to the Biomathematics Department at the University of Oxford as an
IBM research fellow working on stochastic models of infectious disease spread under Professor Maurice Bartlett FRS. He was appointed to a Lectureship in Parasitology at King's College London in 1974 before moving back to Imperial as a lecturer in Ecology and then becoming Professor of
Parasite Ecology in 1982. He was head of the Department of Biology from 1984 to 1993. His former doctoral students include
Angela Mclean Rector of Imperial College Anderson was appointed the 14th
Rector of Imperial College on 1 July 2008. In his time as Rector he focused on strengthening the emphasis on teaching as well as world renown research at Imperial, and on securing a new site in the White City, West London, to facilitate the expansion of Imperial's molecular and biomedical research, halls of residence, support for innovation and entrepreneurship and teaching facilities. He also negotiated the first overseas campus venture for Imperial in partnership with Nanyang Technological University in Singapore which led to the creation of the Lee Kong Chian School of Medicine in Singapore designed to train doctors to meet Singapore Healthcare needs. He tendered his resignation in November 2009 stating his wish to return to his primary interest in scientific research on global health issues.
Director of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research He established the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Diseases (LCNTDR) in 2013. The LCNTDR was launched with the aim of providing focused operational and research support for NTD control. The LCNTDR member institutions house leading NTD experts with a wide range of specialties, making the centre a valuable resource for cross-sectoral research and collaboration. It is a joint initiative between the
Royal Veterinary College, Imperial College London, the
London School of Hygiene & Tropical Medicine, and the
Natural History Museum, London.
Membership of Councils, Boards and Committees (National and International) He has sat on numerous government and international agency committees advising on public health and disease control including the
World Health Organization, The
European Commission,
UNAIDS, and the
Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation. He is currently a Vice-President of Fauna Flora International, Chairman of Oriole Global Health Limited, Director of the London Centre for Neglected Tropical Disease Research, Trustee of the Banga Trust and a Trustee of the
London Institute for Mathematical Sciences. He was a
non-executive director of
GlaxoSmithKline 2008–2018, a member of the International Advisory Board of Hakluyt and Company Ltd. 2008–2019, and Chairman of the International Advisory Board of PTTGC Company Thailand, 2014–2018. Other memberships: • Member of the International Advisory Board of the Malaysian Government Biotechnology Initiative (Biotechnology Corporation), 2010-2017 • Chairman Pearson Independent Advisory Board on Making Education Work, 2012-2018 • Member of the Singapore National Research Foundation Fellowship Advisory Board, 2012-2015 • Trustee of the
Natural History Museum, London, 2008–2016. Member of The Royal Society Science Policy Advisory Group, 2008-2014 • Member of the International Advisory Board of the Thailand National Science and Technology Development Agency, 2010-2017 • Chairman, Advisory Board, Gates Schistosomiasis Control Initiative (SCI), Imperial College, 2001-2018 • Member of the advisory panel of The Children's Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF), 2012-2015 • Member of the International Advisory board of ATHENA, (National AIDS Patient Database Charity), Amsterdam, Holland, 2002-2017 • Member of the Singapore National Research Foundation International Advisory Board, 2009-2012 • Chairman of the review board of the National Vaccine research programme in the Netherlands, 2011 • Chairman of the review board of the National Public Health services research in the Netherlands (RIVM), 2010 • Council Member Royal College of Art, 2008-2011 • Member of the Advisory Board of the Grantham Institute for Climate Change, Imperial College, 2007-2010 • Member of the Advisory Board of the Mathematics Institute, Imperial College London, 2007-2010 • Governor of the Institute for Government London, 2007-2011 • Chairman of the World Health Organization Science and Technology Advisory Board on Neglected Tropical Diseases, 2007-2011 • Member Scientific Advisory Board, Bill and Melinda Gates Initiative on Grand Challenges in Global Health, Gates Foundation, 2005-2011 • Chairman of the Defence Research and Development Board, Ministry of Defence UK, 2007-2008 • Chairman of the Major Investments Approval Board (IAB), Ministry of Defence, UK, 2004-2008 • Member of the Defence Council of the United Kingdom, 2004-2007 • Council member of the
Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), 2004-2007 • Council member of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI), 2005-2007 • Member of the Department of Health Science Advisory Board for Epidemic Outbreaks, 2001-2011 • Member of the Government Chief Scientist's Science Advisory Board for pandemic influenza, 2003-2010 • Chairman of the Science Advisory Council (SAC) of the UK Government's Department of Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (DEFRA), 2003-2005 • Member of the Science Advisory Committee of the UK Health Protection Agency, 2004-2006 • Member, US National Academies of Science Committee 'Advances in Technology and the Prevention of their Application to Next Generation Biowarfare Agents', 2003–06 • Member World Health Organization (WHO) Advisory Group on SARS, Geneva, 2003 • Member, Health Protections Agency (HPA) Advisory Group on SARS, 2003 • Member of the Advisory Board, Earth Institute,
Columbia University, New York USA, 2003-2007 • Chairman, Canadian Innovation Fund Committee for Infectious Disease Research, 2002-2003 • Member of Science Advisory Group, Civil Contingencies Committee, 2001-2002 • Member of Foot and Mouth Scientific Advisory Group, 2001 • Member of the Advisory Board of the Bernard Nocht Institute of Tropical Medicine, Hamburg, 1999-2002 • Member of the International Advisory Panel for the Joint Infrastructure Fund run by Office of Science and Technology and the Wellcome Trust, 1999-2000 • Chairman, UNAIDS reference group on the Epidemiology of HIV/AIDS, 1999–2004. • Member of the Spongiform Encephalopathy Advisory Committee (SEAC), 1997-2001 • Member of the UNAIDS Vaccine Advisory Committee (VAC) of the Joint United National Programme HIV/AIDS (UNAIDS), 1996-1999 • Member of Joint Committee on Vaccination & Immunisation, Department of Health, 1996-2000 • Member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Isaac Newton Institute,
University of Cambridge, 1995 • Council Member, London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine, 1993-2010 • The
Wellcome Trust Trustee 1991, Governor, 1992-2000 • Council Member,
Royal Postgraduate Medical School, 1992-1995 • Trustee, Tropical Health and Education Trust, 1991-2008
Selected publications • • • • • • • • {{cite journal|last1=Anderson|first1=R. M.|author-link1=Roy M. Anderson|last2=May|first2=R. M.|author-link2=Robert May, Baron May of Oxford|title=Vaccination and Herd Immunity to Infectious Diseases • • • • • == Honours and awards==