Dr. Scott Cooper has spent twenty five years protecting, promoting and transforming cultural sites and institutions. Scott is the current President and CEO of the Academy of Natural Sciences at Drexel University. In his previous role at the Royal BC Museum, Scott was responsible for advancing the museum’s collections and knowledge resources, developing research and academic partnerships, and ensuring that the museum is a truly provincial institution that is used by, and of value to, citizens throughout British Columbia. He led a team of staff who oversaw collections, registration and conservation; curation, research and academic relations; online, onsite and offsite learning and public programmes; visitor experience; and the design, production and presentation of exhibitions as well as the museum’s First Nations and Repatriation Programme department.
Previously as director of Museums of the Qatar Foundation, Cooper developed four heritage house museums, including the first museum of slavery in the Islamic world. He was previously CEO of Fulham Palace, where he oversaw the award-winning regeneration of the Tudor residence of the bishops of London. He was treasurer of the International Council of Museums (ICOM UK) from 2008 to 2011.
Scott read engineering at the University of Manchester and architectural conservation at Edinburgh College of Art. He was awarded a UNESCO scholarship to study stone conservation in Venice and subsequently returned to Edinburgh where he was awarded the Principal’s Scholarship to complete his doctoral research on Scottish architectural history.
GLI Peer Mentor (2016, 2017)