Mary Doreen Archer, Baroness Archer of Western-super-Mare, born Mary Doreen Weeden is a scientist and chair of the Science Museum Group trustees. She was born on 22nd December 1944, the daughter of Harold Norman Weeden and Doreen Weeden in Epson, Surry. Initially, she attended Cheltenham Ladies’ College before attending St Annes College Oxford, where she read chemistry. Following this she would go on to Imperial College, London, where she completed a PhD in physical chemistry, submitting her thesis in 1968.

Following her time at Imperial, Archer went on to St Hilda’s College, Oxford, where she was a junior research fellow between 1968 and 1971. In 1971 she worked as a temporary lecturer at Somerville College before going on to work with George Porter at the Royal Institution. Here she worked on photoelectrochemistry, which was the start of a career writing and contributing to works on solar energy.

In 1976 Mary Archer became a Fellow of Newnham College and a lecturer in chemistry at Trinity College, Cambridge. Whilst here she would also become the Director of the Fitzwilliam Museum trust, a position she would hold until 1991.

In 1988 she joined the Council of Lloyds Insurance, a non-executive director of Mid Anglia Radio PLC and chair of the National Energy Foundation. She also released a CD of Christmas Carols entitled ‘A Christmas Carol’. The following year she would become the Chair of the Lloyds hardship Committee.

In 1990 Mary Archer became of Trustee of the National Science and Industry Museum, a position she would hold until 2000, and also became a senior academic fellow at De Montford University. In 2002 she became the chair of Cambridge University Hospital NHS Foundation and in 2009 became the director of Cambridge University Health Partners. This would work lead her to being appointed a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire in the 2012 birthday honours.

Dame Mary Archer was appointed the Chair of the Trustees of the Science Museum Group in 2015 and chancellor of the University of Buckingham in February 2020.