Dame Mary Archer has been appointed by Prime Minister David Cameron to head the Science Museum Group.

The body represents a number of sites - which include the Science Museum in London, National Railway Museum in York and Shildon, the Museum of Science & Industry in Manchester and Bradford’s National Media Museum - attracting more than five million visitors annually combined and will now be headed up by Lady Archer.

Wife of former politician Jeffrey Archer, Dame Mary will take up the four-year post starting 1 January, 2015. She is a respected scientist who started as a physical chemist, teaching chemistry at both Oxford and Cambridge University. Lady Archer also served as chair of the Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust between 2002 and 2012.

“The Science Museum Group has a long and very distinguished history of helping to make science, engineering and technology accessible and understandable for all,” said culture secretary, Sajid Javid.

"Dame Mary Archer will bring to the museum a combination of proven scientific experience and expertise and a fine track record of chairing high profile institutions, along with a sense of what the visiting public want and expect from museums today."