Using your post-nominals

Congratulations, you are now the proud possessor of your professional registration as a Chartered Scientist, Chartered Science Teacher, Registers Scientist or Registered Science Technician.  After all your hard work to achieve your award, you will want to be sure that others are aware of your professional status and commitment to your profession. We have put together a guide to help you.

The importance of post-nominals and professional designations

The conferring of post-nominals is a key benefit of registration. As the awarding body for the professional science community, we actively promote the use of post nominals to showcase your credentials and raise your visibility as a science professional.

The benefits of using post-nominals

By using your post-nominals, you will benefit from:

  • Recognition across the world as a highly qualified science professional
  • Demonstration of your commitment to professional standards, integrity and ethics
  • Demonstration of your commitment to your continuous professional development
  • Showing that you are part of an international science community
  • Indicating a commitment to maintaining the standards of the science profession

Using your post-nominals

The Science Council licenses professional bodies (‘Licensed Bodies’) to award professional registration to their qualifying members. Licensed Bodies notify registrants when they become registered and when they are entitled to use the post-nominals. We encourage you to use your post-nominals wherever possible and if you are entitled to, to refer to yourself as a Chartered Scientist, Chartered Science Teacher, Registered Scientist, or Registered Science Technician. This will demonstrate to your colleagues, your employer and the ‘wider world’ your expertise, knowledge and commitment to maintaining professional standards.

It will also help us to raise our profile, promote the value of the science profession more widely, and promote the role that registration plays in maintaining high standards in science.

You can use your post-nominals on your business cards, email signatures, letter heads, and profiles on business / corporate websites and publications, on LinkedIn, and on witnessing legal documents and on CVs.

Below is guidance on how to use your post nominals: ,

  • All our designations should come before any others e.g. Example: John Smith CSci/RSci/RSciTech/CSciTeach CEng
  • If you hold post-nominals from two or more professional bodies, e,g, if you have been awarded Chartered Scientist and another science chartership you would use CSci directly after your name, followed by any additional charterships.
  • If you are a fellow of the Royal Society or Royal Academy of Engineering it should be: Example: Amy Hills FRS FREng CSci CEng
  • If you have been honoured then it should be: Example: Ahmed Zafar OBE FRS Csci

Any registration or membership post-nominals should come after your academic post-nominals.

Terms and conditions of use for post-nominals and designations

Designations can only be used by active registrants. Individuals whose registration has lapsed or who have resigned their registration are not eligible to use the Science Council’s post-nominals. Registrants who have retired are still able to use their designations as long as they can demonstrate that they are professionally active.

The use of post-nominals may be withdrawn by the Licensed Body if a registrant is found to be in breach of the Model Code of Conduct and any other rules, regulations or codes that the Licensed Body may require registrants to adhere to.

The Science Council maintains a public register of registrants on its website as part of its obligations under the Charter and Bylaws. All entries on the public register include post-nominals.  This enables easy verification of active registration and level of achievement. It is often used by employers to quickly check a candidate’s credentials. You can review and manage your public register entry on our website.

If you are a registrant and your details are incorrect or if you do not appear on the public register, please contact our Corporate Services Manager. 

Further guidance

If you have any questions about the use of post nominals or professional designations please contact our Corporate Services Manager.