Scientific advisor

A scientific advisor, sometimes capitalised as Scientific Advisor, was an in-house scientific consultant to an organisation whose focus was not primarily scientific in nature. The title notably existed within the hierarchy of UNIT, and, starting in the second half of the 20th century, was held by the Doctor across various incarnations.

UNIT
The Intrusion Counter-Measures Group, a predecessor to UNIT, had a "scientific advisor" role. In 1963, Rachel Jensen filled it. (TV: Remembrance of the Daleks) The platoon of soldiers whom a young Alistair Gordon Lethbridge-Stewart led against the Great Intelligence's infiltration of the London Underground, Edward Travers and his daughter Anne Travers tagged along, as well as the Second Doctor; (TV: The Web of Fear) subsequently, after Lethbridge-Stewart became Brigadier of the British branch of a new, special force dedicated to combatting alien threats, he officially named Anne Travers as his first Scientific Advisor. (AUDIO: Memories of Tomorrow)

However, with the British Army requisitioning Anne Travers so that she could work at the Vault, (PROSE: The Forgotten Son) Lethbridge-Stewart was forced to find a different UNIT Scientific Advisor. He interviewed Liz Shaw, of Cambridge, about the possibility of her taking the position. In the end, the role went to the Third Doctor, with Liz staying on as his assistant. The Doctor served as UNIT's scientific advisor throughout his exile on Earth. (TV: Spearhead from Space)

Although the Doctor ceased to stay on Earth on a regular basis after he regenerated into his fourth incarnation, his affiliation with UNIT remained, with others such as Colonel Mace noting that the Doctor had never officially resigned his position. (TV: Robot, The Sontaran Stratagem) Even when not actively working with UNIT, the Doctor wasn't above using his UNIT credentials to establish authority to investigate such matters as disappearing Concordes. (TV: Time-Flight) Even in 2001, the Doctor retained a legendary reputation among UNIT, with the Brigadier musing that a three-second silence after learning that the Doctor was present during a crisis was an impressive incident. (PROSE: The Shadow in the Glass)

However, while the Doctor retained official Scientific Advisor status, in practice the position was left vacant by the Fourth Doctor's departure, leading to the promotion of Elizabeth Klein as Scientific Advisor for the UK branch. (AUDIO: Dominion)

In the 1990s, the was UNIT's special scientific advisor. (PROSE: Interference - Book Two, Bullet Time)

In the late 1990s, Doctor Louise Rix was appointed scientific adviser to Brigadier Winifred Bambera. (AUDIO: Time Flies)

On 8 October (PROSE: Cardiff Earthquake) 2006, (TV: Boom Town) UNIT issued a press briefing about the clean-up work in the aftermath of the Cardiff Earthquake. While the operation was successful, UNIT's Scientific Advisors all agreed that the Blaidd Drwg Power Plant project should be abandoned due to the instability of the ground it was proposed to be built on. (PROSE: Cardiff Earthquake)

By 2010, UNIT's regular scientific advisor was Malcolm Taylor. (TV: Planet of the Dead)

Other organisations
The Fourth Doctor jokingly offered Duggan a position as his own scientific advisor. (TV: City of Death)

While investigating the strange abilities of apparent medium James Lees for Queen Victoria, the Fifth Doctor was officially appointed Queen Victoria's scientific advisor, being offered to remain in the role even after his departure. (PROSE: Empire of Death)

A clone of the Sixth Doctor served as the Forge's scientific advisor from 2004 to 2008. (AUDIO: Project: Lazarus)

On Hellcombe Factory, the Eleventh Doctor claimed that Corporal Edward Anderson was his scientific advisor. (COMIC: The Dalek Project)