UK Secret Service on the Hunt for Gadget Guru

Officially, MI5 has posted a job opening on their website for a Chief Scientific Advisor, but what they’re really looking for is someone along the lines of the character Q, the man who outfits James Bond with all of his secret agent gadgets (think sleek cars that can travel underwater and tazer-emitting cell phones).

The Advisor will be responsible for keeping one step ahead of the gadget landscape, making sure that the UK’s intelligence and counterterrorism efforts around the world are well equipped with the most up to date technologies and methods.

Candidates for the high-profile role are required to have world-class scientific expertise and credibility, excellent strategic skills, outstanding influencing and communication skills, and a successful track record in complex project management.

Surprisingly, the role is intended to be a part-time one, requiring only two or three days a week for a five-year term. It is expected that these parameters will appeal to those conducting academic scientific research that they would like to continue while simultaneously taking on the “unique and challenging” role at MI5.

Part of the challenge will be to have a tech vision that is futuristic. “It will involve a sort of future gazing to see where technology will be taking us in a year or so,” said Professor John Beddington, the British government’s chief scientific advisor.

The British media has had a ball comparing the role to that of Bond’s master gadget man. Although the focus will be on using science and technology to support agents in the field, gadgets and techniques will likely be related to internet and in-field surveillance (think taps, bugs, and cyber security instead of underwater vehicles).

Professor Beddington further clarified that the advisor would have “to frustrate terrorism to prevent espionage hurting the UK, protect our critical national infrastructure and to frustrate the proliferation of weapons of mass destruction.”

One thing’s certain – this job won’t leave the person who fills it twiddling his thumbs!

The application deadline is April 24, 2009.

photo courtesy of www.mpg.de