He was appointed to an advisory committee for the appointment of Justice of the Peace by the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster, a service which at the time came under the auspices of the Department for Constitutional Affairs. His work has tended to remain focused around the public understanding of science and education more broadly defined. He was appointed by the Department for Culture, Media and Sport as a Trustee for the Museum of Science and Industry in Manchester, and since 2018 has been its Chair as it transitioned to the Science and Industry Museum.
In 2015 was appointed by the Prime Minister to the Board of the Science Museum Group, where he later became Vice-Chair. He has been a Trustee of both public and independent secondary schools and created  South Bank Academies Trust in South London leading it first as Chair then as a Director. In 2009 he was appointed as an Ambassador to the Government Equalities Office to support work focused on increasing diversity in public life.