BLACK SOCIAL HISTORY Sir Godfrey Henry Oliver Palmer OBE (born 1940, St. Elizabeth, Jamaica)[1] is a Professor Emeritus in the School of Life Sciences at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland.[2][3] In 2011, he became the first and only black professor in Scotland.[4]
Academic work
Palmer specialises in grain science and has extensive expertise with barley, sorghum, other cereals and malt, having written a textbook on the subject entitled 'Cereal Science and Technology'. He is the inventor of the Barley Abrasion process, and recently developed a new simple method to detect pre-germination in cereal grains showing difference in amylase actions of individual grains of a barley sample containing different degrees of pre-germination. Results can be expressed in Optical Density.[5] In the journalInternational Brewer and Distiller (8:8, August 2012, 5), it was reported that Palmer had "requested samples of pre-germinated grain as he is developing a new amylase test which will look at the distribution of the enzyme across individual grains in a sample. A small number of grains, with high amylase/pre-germination activity, can cause unexpected storage or processing problems and visual or average analyses do not always identify uneven distribution."
In 2008, Palmer became the fourth and only European individual to be honoured with the American Society of Brewing Chemists (ASBC) Award for distinction in scientific research and good citizenship: he received the award in Boston, Massachusetts in 2008.[6] Additionally, Palmer attracted and received funding to set up the International Centre for Brewing and Distilling at Heriot-Watt University, through initiating contact with the distilling industry. He has also contributed to the Encyclopedia of Seeds and the Encyclopedia of Grain Science, writing the Foreword for the latter.
He has been awarded a Doctorate of Science and an Honorary Doctorate of Science the Arts from Abertay University and the Open University respectively. In recognition of his work and achievements in the field of grain science, Palmer was aappointed Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 2003.[7] He was knighted in the 2014 New Year Honours for services to human rights, science, and charity.[8]
Human rights and racial equality work
Alongside his academic work, Palmer is also a prominent human rights activist and is involved in a considerable amount of charity work in the community. He has authored a book on race relations entitled Mr. White and the Ravens, and contributed an article to the Scotsman newspaper entitled "Stephen Lawrence analysis: Society is more mixed but racism has not gone away - we still have a long way to go" (5 January, 2012). Palmner has also authored a book on the history of slavery, and has spoken out extensively against the slave trade.[9][10][11] In 2007, the Bicentenary of the Abolition of the Slave Trade in the British Empire, Professor Geoff Palmer was named amongst the 100 Great Black Britons.[12]
In August 2011, the Midlothian Council made Palmer a Freeman of Midlothian.[13] He also serves as the Honorary President of Edinburgh and Lothians Regional Equality Council (ELREC), an Edinburgh-based organization which works to tackle discrimination and promote human rights and equality in the community, specifically with regards to the nine protected characteristics outlined in the Equality Act 2010.[14] Palmer recently spoke about the Ethnic Coding in NHS Scotland at ELREC's 40th Annual General Meeting.[15]
Personal life
Palmer is married with three children.
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