The Standard 100: People shaping London in Science & Medicine and Environment

 (ES)
(ES)

This week, The London Standard is unveiling The Standard 100, a list of the top hundred people shaping the capital in 2024.

The list covers multiple categories including politics, media, art, music, food, business, and much more.

Today the Standard can reveal those named among the categories for Science and Medicine as well as the Environment.

The list for Science & Medicine includes Dr Tim Spector, one of the country's strongest campaigners against ultra-processed foods and the founder of the ZOE app, a glucose monitor that delivers a more tailored and personalised approach to healthcare.

Also on the list is Dr David Nutt, Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College London and leading the charge to legalise the use of magic mushrooms in the treatment of anxiety and depression.

Lord Darzi and Dr Hilary Cass are both named for their groundbreaking reports into the NHS and child gender services, respectively.

Lord Darzi’s report forms the backbone of Labour’s plan to reform and modernise the health service while Dr Cass’s review of gender services for children and young people concluded with the closure of a North London clinic which was found to have prescribed puberty blockers en masse without the essential follow-up therapy.

The GIDS clinic was replaced in April with two new services, which are intended to be the first of eight regional centres to address gender dysphoria among children and teenagers.

The list also includes Dr Carina Fearnley, Professor of Warnings and Science Communication at UCL, and Dr Edith Heard, incoming head of the Francis Crick Institute. Upon appointment, she will become the first woman to hold the role.

In the Heritage category are Shobi Khan, CEO of Canary Wharf and the man in charge of the largest regeneration project in Europe; Nicola Stacey, director of the Heritage of London Trust, which restores damaged artwork across the city; and Hugh Grosvenor, Duke of Westminster, who owns 300 acres across Mayfair and Belgravia.

Science and Medicine

Lord Darzi, surgeon and politician

 (UK Parliament)
(UK Parliament)

Author of the eponymous, earth-shaking report that forms the backbone of Labour’s NHS strategy, Lord Darzi has repeatedly called for the radical modernisation of our medical services and is a champion of innovation.

Baroness Cass, paediatrician

 (Yui Mok/PA Wire)
(Yui Mok/PA Wire)

Author of the equally influential Cass Review, which shut down the controversial GIDS clinic in north London, the NHS doctor is lauded and reviled in equal measure. Whatever side of the trans debate you fall on, her report has reshaped entirely how we approach trans healthcare among children and young people and informs one of the biggest polemics of our time.

Tim Spector, professor of genetics

 (Tim Spector)
(Tim Spector)

The co-founder of the ZOE app (which has a turnover just south of £30m) has revolutionised our approach to healthy eating. With his stick-on glucose monitor, Tim Spector champions a personalised approach to healthcare and has developed the latest status symbol for that thin slice of society with enough free time to become health-obsessed.

Edith Heard, geneticist and developmental biologist

 (Crick Institute)
(Crick Institute)

The incoming CEO and first female head of the Francis Crick Institute previously held senior tenures at the Collège de France and the European Molecular Biology Laboratory. She is noted for her studies of X-chromosome inactivation and her work on epigenetics: one of the most groundbreaking fields in modern science.

Carina Fearnley, academic and researcher

 (Carina Fearnley)
(Carina Fearnley)

As the world prepares to face the impact of climate change – and scrambles for solutions – Londoners can feel a little safer knowing someone has now been appointed Professor of Warnings and Science Communication at UCL. That someone is Carina Fearnley.

David Nutt, neuropyschopharmacologist

 (SENTIA)
(SENTIA)

The man who got fired from Labour for saying that horse riding was statistically more dangerous than ecstasy is now the Edmond J Safra Chair in Neuropsychopharmacology at Imperial College. As the founder of the non-profit Drug Science, he is leading the charge to legalise the use of magic mushrooms in the treatment of depression.

Environment

Shobi Khan, CEO Canary Wharf Group

 (Matt Writtle)
(Matt Writtle)

After a tricky period, is Canary Wharf becoming the best urban regeneration project in Europe? This extraordinary estate, reclaimed from derelict docklands, is becoming a city within a city, a 24/7 community complete with schools, hospitals and affordable housing. Now Khan is building a green spine throughout and has plans to create a world-class life sciences hub.

Duke of Westminster, Landowner

 (Getty Images)
(Getty Images)

With 300 acres of Mayfair and Belgravia, Hugh Grosvenor (pictured here with his wife Olivia) has considerable influence over what happens in the poshest part of our city, and who gets to set up shop or put down their bags in the smartest postcodes.

Nicola Stacey, Director - Heritage of London Trust

 (Heritage of London Trust)
(Heritage of London Trust)

This wonderful organisation has been responsible for empowering young people – especially those struggling with employment – to restore old and damaged statues and artwork across London.

Read the rest of our 100 Power List in the following sectors:

Music, art, culture, stage, screen and podcasts

Food and restaurants

Sport

Business, tech and money

Media, fashion and the Royal Family