Professor Charlotte Watts CMG FMedSci
Biography
Professor Charlotte Watts was Chief Scientific Adviser and Director for Research and Evidence at the UK Foreign Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO) between September 2020 and March 2025. She was seconded from the London School of Hygiene and Tropical Medicine.
Charlotte has a PhD in mathematics, with further training in public health. In her academic career, prior to joining UK Government, she made important contributions in infectious disease epidemiology, HIV prevention, and violence research, including showing that domestic violence is preventable. She is a Fellow of the UK Academy of Medical Sciences and Foreign Associate Member of the US National Academy of Medicine.
In 2019 Charlotte was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George in the Queen’s Birthday Honours.