Science and Innovation Minister, Malcolm Wicks, today announced the appointment of Professor David Delpy, FRS FREng, as Chief Executive and
Deputy Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council
(EPSRC).
Announcing the appointment Malcolm Wicks said:
"I welcome Professor Delpy to the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. Professor Delpy's background as an academic leader and researcher and his management experience, will be a great asset to the Council".
David Delpy said
"I am delighted to be given the chance to lead the EPSRC. The contribution that engineering and physical sciences make both to society in general and to the UK economy in particular is increasingly important. The EPSRC plays a vital role in ensuring that we remain internationally leading in research and economically competitive and I look forward to working with my colleagues to ensure that the UK's position is not just maintained but continues to improve"
EPSRC funds the highest quality research and related postgraduate training in engineering and the physical sciences. In this financial year it is receiving £721 million from the Department of Trade and Industry's science budget.
Professor David Delpy will take up the post on 1 September. He succeeds
Professor Sir John O'Reilly. The appointment is for four years.
Notes for Editors
1. Professor Delpy's appointment has been made following an open competition.
2. Professor Delpy is currently Vice-Provost for Research at UCL. In 1976 he was appointed as a Senior Physicist at University College Hospital with a major responsibility for the physiological monitoring equipment in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit, and in 1982 became a Principal Physicist. In 1986 he became a Senior Lecturer at UCL, and in 1991, Hamamatsu Professor of Medical Photonics. David Delpy was Head of the Medical Physics and Bioengineering Department from 1992-1999 when he became Vice Provost. His research interests have continued to lie in the field of physiological monitoring, and especially in the development of
techniques for the non invasive monitoring of tissue oxygenation and metabolism. He is a member of council of BBSRC.
3. Professor Randal Richards, the Council's Director of Research and Innovation, has been interim Chief Executive and Accounting Officer of EPSRC since the departure of Professor Sir John O'Reilly.
4. The Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) is the
UK's main agency for funding research in engineering and the physical sciences. The EPSRC invests in research and postgraduate training, to help the nation handle the next generation of technological change. The areas covered range from information technology to structural engineering, and mathematics to materials science. This research forms the basis for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. EPSRC also actively promotes public awareness of science and engineering. EPSRC is one of seven
Research Councils funded through the Science Budget by the Department of
Trade and Industry via the Office of Science and Innovation. The Research Councils work collectively on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK. Website address for more information on EPSRC: http://www.epsrc.ac.uk/
Department of Trade and Industry
7th Floor
1 Victoria Street
London SW1H 0ET
Press Enquiries +44 (0)20 7215 6140/6403
(Out of Hours) +44 (0)20 7215 3234/3505
Public Enquiries +44 (0)20 7215 5000
Textphone +44 (0)20 7215 6740
(for those with hearing impairment)
Press Office Fax +44 (0)20 7222 4382
http://www.dti.gov.uk
