Deputy Director honoured by the Royal Academy of Engineering
ORC Deputy Director, Professor David Richardson, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in recognition for his contributions to engineering.
Professor Richardson is a world class telecommunications and optics pioneer. He has produced many world firsts and record results for performance and applications of fibre based devices resulting in around 700 conference and journal papers and 20 patents.
Leading the optical fibre device and systems research at the ORC, Professor Richardson has developed a thriving program focusing primarily on telecommunications, ultrafast fibre lasers and microstructured optical fibres. Over the last twenty years he has maintained a strong international reputation and track record for world class fibre optics research.
The Academy annually elects up to 60 Fellows, honouring the UKâs most distinguished engineers. It aims to take advantage of their engineering knowledge and, through the interdisciplinary character of its membership; it provides a unique breadth of engineering experience to further the art and practice of engineering in all its forms.
Election to the academy is by invitation only through nominations made by existing Fellows.
The Universityâs Professor Steve Elliott, Director of the Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and Professor William Powrie, School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, have also been elected which is unprecedented for Southampton.
Professor Phil Nelson, Deputy Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, comments: âI would like to offer many congratulations to each of the professors on their Fellowships. As well as being richly deserved, having three new Fellows is a fantastic outcome for the University and highlights the enormous wealth of engineering excellence here at Southampton.â?
Professor Richardson comments: âI am delighted to have been elected to Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering â being recognised in this way for my research means a great deal to me personally. In accepting this honour I would like to acknowledge and thank my many colleagues, collaborators and sponsors, past and present, who have contributed to my work and life here at Southampton over the years.
Whilst enjoying the rewards for my past achievements I am looking forward to the fantastic opportunities provided by our new state-of-the-art cleanroom and applications laboratories. I am sure that these will provide the platform for future research success for me and many other photonics engineers and scientists within the University.â?