The President of the Royal Society (PRS) is the elected head of the Royal Society of London. The position is now awarded to a member of the scientific community of the British Commonwealth for a period of five years, and is one of the highest honours that can be bestowed upon a scientist.

The changeover of Presidents occurs on the Royal Society Anniversary Day, the weekday on or nearest to 30 November, following the departing President's Anniversary Address.^[1]

The current President is The Lord Rees of Ludlow.

Presidents of the Royal Society

• 1660-1662 Robert Moray ^[2]
• 1662-1677 The Viscount Brouncker
• 1677-1680 Sir Joseph Williamson
• 1680-1682 Sir Christopher Wren
• 1682-1683 Sir John Hoskyns
• 1683-1684 Cyril Wyche
• 1684-1686 Samuel Pepys
• 1686-1689 The Earl of Carbery
• 1689-1690 The Earl of Pembroke
• 1690-1695 Sir Robert Southwell
• 1695-1698 The Earl of Halifax
• 1698-1703 The Lord Somers
• 1703-1727 Sir Isaac Newton
• 1727-1741 Sir Hans Sloane
• 1741-1752 Martin Folkes
• 1752-1764 The Earl of Macclesfield
• 1764-1768 The Earl of Morton
• 1768-1768 James Burrow
• 1768-1772 James West
• 1772-1772 James Burrow
• 1772-1778 Sir John Pringle
• 1778-1820 Sir Joseph Banks
• 1820-1820 William Hyde Wollaston
• 1820-1827 Sir Humphry Davy
• 1827-1830 Davies Gilbert
• 1830-1838 HRH The Duke of Sussex
• 1838-1848 The Marquess of Northampton
• 1848-1854 The Earl of Rosse
• 1854-1858 The Lord Wrottesley
• 1858-1861 Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, Bart.
• 1861-1871 Sir Edward Sabine
• 1871-1873 Sir George Biddell Airy
• 1873-1878 Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker
• 1878-1883 William Spottiswoode
• 1883-1885 The Rt. Hon. Thomas Henry Huxley, P.C.
• 1885-1890 Sir George Gabriel Stokes
• 1890-1895 The Lord Kelvin
• 1895-1900 The Lord Lister
• 1900-1905 Sir William Huggins
• 1905-1908 The Lord Rayleigh
• 1908-1913 Sir Archibald Geikie
• 1913-1915 Sir William Crookes
• 1915-1920 Sir Joseph John Thomson
• 1920-1925 Sir Charles Sherrington
• 1925-1930 The Lord Rutherford of Nelson
• 1930-1935 Sir Frederick Hopkins
• 1935-1940 Sir William Henry Bragg
• 1940-1945 Sir Henry Hallett Dale
• 1945-1950 Sir Robert Robinson
• 1950-1955 The Lord Adrian
• 1955-1960 Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood
• 1960-1965 The Lord Florey
• 1965-1970 The Lord Blackett
• 1970-1975 Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin
• 1975-1980 The Lord Todd
• 1980-1985 Sir Andrew Huxley
• 1985-1990 Sir George Porter
• 1990-1995 Sir Michael Atiyah
• 1995-2000 Sir Aaron Klug
• 2000-2005 The Lord May of Oxford
• 2005-present The Lord Rees of Ludlow

References

1. ↑
2. ↑