Dr Stuart Cook has been appointed Director of Research at the Tun Abdul Razak Research Centre (TARRC), the UK-based laboratory of the Malaysian Rubber Board, with effect from 1st July 2009. The appointment has been made following the retirement of Dr Andrew Tinker in June. Dr Cook will be responsible for the research activities of the 80 plus scientific and supporting staff working in the extensive laboratories at Hertford, just north of London.
Dr Cook, 51, joined TARRC in 1987 after a three-year spell teaching general science and chemistry to A-level standard. Dr Cook received his first degree in Chemistry from the University of East Anglia and continued studying there for his MSc and Doctorate on the chemical synthesis of prostacyclin analogues.
Dr Cook is widely known and respected in the rubber industry through his many publications and presentations to international conferences. Alongside his R&D activities, he has also coordinated TARRC's consultancy management team since 2006 with responsibility for its day-to-day operation. Under his direction, TARRC will continue to play an essential role in the development of the Malaysian rubber industry through the Malaysian Rubber Board.