Richard Myhill

Richard Myhill is the Chief Executive of the London International Youth Science Forum (LIYSF CIC), a not-for-profit social enterprise, established in 1959. He has served as the Director since 2008 and Chief Executive since 2020.

Richard leads LIYSF, which each year welcomes 500 students from 70 countries and an event staff team of 30 persons. LIYSF offers a two-week summer school programme in the UK for students aged 16-21 years. He is responsible for the overall success of the organisation, managing operations and directing strategy. He takes a hands-on approach to running LIYSF, including all academic and business strategy, student recruitment and selection, the speaker programme and all event aspects.

Since 2008, he has overseen a great expansion in international representation and attendance at LIYSF, including a scholarship programme. He initiated and managed the move of hosting the event to one of the most prestigious science universities in the world, Imperial College London. Richard has transitioned LIYSF into a not-for-profit organisation, secured HRH The Princess Royal as Patron in 2020, as well UNESCO patronage since 2016.

Richard has a varied background and interest in science, education, economics and society. He has a bachelor’s degree in law from the University of East Anglia and qualifications in human anatomy and physiology. He has also been awarded an honorary doctorate from the University of Benin, for his work in promoting scientific opportunities for African students. Richard has a keen interest in maths, technology and biology. He has judged at many national and international science competitions worldwide and has been invited to give lectures on science communication, outreach and education internationally, including giving the keynote lecture at the Taiwan Science Fair, speaking at the Open Science Fair in Prague and the 1st International Conference in Lagos, Nigeria.

Richard is passionate about enabling STEM opportunities for young people and states; “LIYSF is an incredible event that has changed the lives of over 22,000 students and counting. It has a rich history of empowering young science students across the globe. LIYSF has worked hard to help those from disadvantaged backgrounds and to empower female scientists, as well as students from diverse ethnic and cultural backgrounds. The strategy for the future is to ensure that global representation is seen at LIYSF and help more students reach further. I am proud of the work we do and extremely excited about our future, as we look to empower more young people from all backgrounds to pursue their potential. As well as constantly developing our programme and content, we have introduced a hybrid digital opportunity for students to experience LIYSF.”