<P> The current President is Venkatraman Ramakrishnan who began his 5 - year tenure in 2015 . Historically, the duties of the president have been both formal and social . Under the Cruelty to Animals Act 1876, the President was one of only a few people authorised to certify that a particular experiment on an animal was justified, and in addition he acted as the government's chief (albeit informal) advisor for scientific matters . At the same time, the President was tasked with entertaining distinguished foreign guests and scientists . </P> <P> The changeover of presidents occurs on the Royal Society Anniversary Day, the weekday on or nearest to 30 November, after the departing President's Anniversary Address . </P> <Table> <Tr> <Th> Years </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> President </Th> <Th> Profession </Th> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1662--1677 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Viscount Brouncker </Td> <Td> Mathematician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1677--1680 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Joseph Williamson </Td> <Td> Civil servant and politician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1680--1682 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Christopher Wren </Td> <Td> Architect, astronomer and physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1682--1683 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir John Hoskyns, Bt </Td> <Td> Lawyer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1683--1684 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Cyril Wyche </Td> <Td> Lawyer and politician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1684--1686 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Samuel Pepys </Td> <Td> Naval administrator and Member of Parliament </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1686--1689 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Earl of Carbery </Td> <Td> Politician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1689--1690 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Earl of Pembroke </Td> <Td> Politician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1690--1695 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Robert Southwell </Td> <Td> Diplomat </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1695--1698 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Charles Montagu </Td> <Td> Poet and statesman </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1698--1703 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Somers </Td> <Td> Jurist and statesman </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1703--1727 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Isaac Newton </Td> <Td> Physicist, mathematician, astronomer, natural philosopher, alchemist, and theologian </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1727--1741 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Hans Sloane, Bt </Td> <Td> Physician and collector </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1741--1752 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Martin Folkes </Td> <Td> Antiquarian </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1752--1764 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Earl of Macclesfield </Td> <Td> Astronomer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1764--1768 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Earl of Morton </Td> <Td> Astronomer and representative peer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1768 - 1768 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> James Burrow </Td> <Td> Legal reporter </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1768--1772 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> James West </Td> <Td> Politician and antiquarian </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1772 - 1772 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> James Burrow </Td> <Td> Legal reporter </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1772--1778 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir John Pringle </Td> <Td> Physician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1778--1820 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Joseph Banks </Td> <Td> Naturalist and botanist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1820 - 1820 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> William Hyde Wollaston </Td> <Td> Chemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1820--1827 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Humphry Davy, Bt </Td> <Td> Chemist and inventor </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1827--1830 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Davies Gilbert </Td> <Td> Engineer, author and politician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1830--1838 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> HRH The Duke of Sussex </Td> <Td> Sixth son of George III of the United Kingdom </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1838--1848 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Marquess of Northampton </Td> <Td> Nobleman </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1848--1854 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Earl of Rosse </Td> <Td> Astronomer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1854--1858 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Wrottesley </Td> <Td> Astronomer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1858--1861 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Benjamin Collins Brodie, Bt </Td> <Td> Physiologist and surgeon </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1861--1871 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Edward Sabine </Td> <Td> Astronomer, geophysicist, ornithologist and explorer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1871--1873 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir George Biddell Airy </Td> <Td> Mathematician and astronomer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1873--1878 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Joseph Dalton Hooker </Td> <Td> Botanist and explorer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1878--1883 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> William H. Spottiswoode </Td> <Td> Mathematician and physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1883--1885 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Thomas Henry Huxley </Td> <Td> Biologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1885--1890 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir George Stokes </Td> <Td> Mathematician and physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1890--1895 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir William Thomson </Td> <Td> Mathematical physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1895--1900 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Lister </Td> <Td> Surgeon </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1900--1905 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir William Huggins </Td> <Td> Astronomer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1905--1908 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Rayleigh </Td> <Td> Physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1908--1913 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Archibald Geikie </Td> <Td> Geologist and writer </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1913--1915 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir William Crookes </Td> <Td> Chemist and physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1915--1920 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Joseph John Thomson </Td> <Td> Physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1920--1925 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Charles Scott Sherrington </Td> <Td> Neurophysiologist, histologist, bacteriologist, and pathologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1925--1930 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Rutherford of Nelson </Td> <Td> Physicist and chemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1930--1935 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Frederick Gowland Hopkins </Td> <Td> Biophysicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1935--1940 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir William Henry Bragg </Td> <Td> Physicist, chemist and mathematician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1940--1945 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Henry Hallett Dale </Td> <Td> Pharmacologist and physiologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1945--1950 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Robert Robinson </Td> <Td> Organic chemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1950--1955 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Adrian </Td> <Td> Electrophysiologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1955--1960 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Cyril Norman Hinshelwood </Td> <Td> Physical chemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1960--1965 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Howard Florey </Td> <Td> Pharmacologist and pathologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1965--1970 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Patrick Blackett </Td> <Td> Physicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1970--1975 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Alan Lloyd Hodgkin </Td> <Td> Physiologist and Biophysicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1975--1980 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Todd </Td> <Td> Biochemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1980--1985 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Andrew Huxley </Td> <Td> Physiologist and biophysicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1985--1990 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir George Porter </Td> <Td> Chemist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1990--1995 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Michael Atiyah </Td> <Td> Mathematician </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 1995--2000 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Aaron Klug </Td> <Td> Chemist and biophysicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2000--2005 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Robert May </Td> <Td> Mathematical Biologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2005--2010 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> The Lord Rees of Ludlow </Td> <Td> Cosmologist and astrophysicist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2010--2015 </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Paul Nurse </Td> <Td> Geneticist and cell biologist </Td> </Tr> <Tr> <Td> 2015--present </Td> <Td> </Td> <Td> Sir Venkatraman Ramakrishnan </Td> <Td> Biophysicist </Td> </Tr> </Table> <Tr> <Th> Years </Th> <Th_colspan="2"> President </Th> <Th> Profession </Th> </Tr>

Who is the current president of the royal society