An international project to develop a safe and plentiful source of energy by harnessing the power of the sun has a new director.

Prof Llewellyn Smith

Prof Sir Christopher Llewellyn Smith, a Fellow of the Royal Society, has been appointed to head the JET nuclear fusion research programme at Culham Laboratory, near Abingdon.

At Oxford University, he merged five departments to form one of the UK's top rated physics departments. He was director-general of CERN, the European Laboratory for Particle Physics from 1994 to 1998, then President and Provost of University College London until last year.

Sir Christopher is a committed enthusiast of nuclear fusion research and the work carried out at Culham.

He said: "I am very pleased to have the opportunity to become involved in the fusion programme and look forward to working with the staff at Culham to build on all they have already achieved. I know that the next few years will be exciting and challenging ones."

He said the UK had a great track record and a crucial role to play in developing fusion as a source of clean, safe and renewable energy.

He added that Culham had an important role to play in fostering science and engineering talent.

Sir Christopher said it had links with universities ranging from plasma physics to materials science, which would prove crucial in developing fusion as a source of power.

United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority chairman Dennis Tunnicliffe welcomed the appointment, saying: "He brings an outstanding reputation as a world-class scientist."