Mark Henderson, science editor of The Times, has been appointed as head of communications at the Wellcome Trust, the global charitable foundation.

Henderson has worked at The Times since 1996; he became its science correspondent in 2000 and was promoted to science editor in 2006. He helped found Eureka, the newspaper’s monthly science supplement.

Henderson will take up his post in early January and will oversee and lead the communications department, whose activities include media relations, marketing, publishing, design, web and social media.