Royal Institution frozen, he was not allowed to practise as a doctor, and Humphry Davy was appointed as his assistant, so he resigned. Humphry Davy was an even greater success, as was his assistant and successor Michael Faraday. Davy's immediate successor was William Thomas Brande. Thus the Institution has had an instrumental role in the advancement of science since its founding. Notable scientists who have worked there include Sir Humphry Davy (who discovered sodium and potassium), Michael Faraday, James Dewar, Sir William Henry Bragg and Sir William Lawrence Bragg (who jointly won the Nobel prize for their work on x-ray diffraction), Max
Robin Batterham expressed over Dr. Batterham's dual roles, and a Senate committee found that there was a conflict of interest between the two, recommending that the Chief Scientist position be made full-time. In May 2005, Batterham stepped down as Chief Scientist and took on a full-time position at Rio Tinto. From May 2004 to May 2005, Batterham was President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers. He was appointed an International Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2004. He was appointed a Fellow (FTSE) of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (ATSE) in 1988, and served as its President