David has designed and built complex systems for over 20 years. He was the UK Atomic Energy Authority’s Head of Engineering Realisation, an Engineer in Charge of JET, the world’s largest fusion experiment and part of the leadership team developing a programme to commercialise fusion power.
David is currently working at the Satellite Applications Catapult as the Space Energy Lead developing technologies and supporting the supply chain in all aspects of space energy. He is the Technical Working Group Lead for the Space Energy Initiative, formulating the programme and structures needed to make the UK a world leader in Space Based Solar Power, a technology needed for our fossil free future.
He is both a Chartered Physicist and Chartered Engineer and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, Royal Astronomical Society and the British Interplanetary Society.
During my career I have had the privilege of contributing to cutting edge research and the maturation of the resulting technologies both within academia (working on functional brain imaging at the University of Oxford) and in the field of fusion research at the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority. If elected, I would bring the experience and knowledge gained leading a collaborative and multi-disciplinary team, with a central goal of investigating and maturing emerging technologies. My work has provided me insight into public/private/academic partnerships, funding mechanisms, the needs for cross pollination across sectors, how research can be spun out and productised.
Harnessing the pioneering science performed in our world leading universities, private and public sector in this way is vital for the prosperity of both the UK and the wider world. I believe that it is possible and important to shorten the time it takes for research to be spun out and I am committed to working to achieve that.
The IOP has been an important part of my life for over two decades and it has been my honour to serve the accreditation panels for CEng and CPhys, academic accreditation as an Engineering Council Liaison Officer and to be part of the Membership Committee. It has provided me a forum to help guide the high standards of the physics and engineering professional accreditation in the UK and to champion equal opportunities within physics regardless of an individual's identity and to highlight the various career paths within science and engineering to people at all stages of their education or career. If you do me the honour of electing me to the post of vice-president, I pledge to redouble this work and help to create an environment for budding entrepreneurs to quickly mature and productise their creative and innovative ideas and research.