Elected: 1994
Discipline: Physics and Astronomy
Professor Andrew Walker
Heriot-Watt University
Andy Walker was born in Harrow, England on 24 June 1948, and received the following degrees from the University of Essex: BA in Physics (1969), MSc in Quantum Electronics (1970) and PhD (1972). From 1972 to 1974 he was a National Research Council of Canada Postdoctoral Fellow with the Laser and Plasma Group, Ottawa. In 1975, following a year as a UK Science Research Council Fellow at the University of Essex, he joined the UK Atomic Energy Authority, Culham Laboratory to work on the application of lasers within the fusion research programme. Then, in 1983, he moved to Heriot-Watt University as an academic member of the Physics Department, becoming Professor of Modern Optics in 1988 and subsequently joining the senior management team initially as Deputy Principal Resources, and then Vice-Principal and finally Senior Deputy Principal. Having retired from the University in 2013, he continues as a Professor Emeritus.
In 2013 he took up his current position as Secretary & Treasurer to the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland – running their office in Dunfermline.
Andy Walker is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics, and was Chairman of its Scottish Branch, 1993 to 1995. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in 1994 and was a member of its Council, 1998 – 2008. He was RSE Vice-President for Physical Sciences and Engineering, 2001 – 2004, and was Fellowship Secretary to the Society, 2005 – 2008. He has published over 200 scientific papers and letters and has lectured widely.
Specialties: He has worked extensively with industry (e.g. BAE Systems, BT, Marconi, Boeing, IBM, Xyratex and numerous SME’s) through a range of collaborative R&D projects. He contributed to the spin-out of Terahertz Photonics Ltd from Heriot-Watt University, as Chairman in its early phase. He was a non-executive director of Technology Ventures Scotland Ltd (2002-05), SeeByte Ltd (2007-13), and the Edinburgh Business School (until 2015).
In 2013 he took up his current position as Secretary & Treasurer to the Carnegie Trust for the Universities of Scotland – running their office in Dunfermline.
Andy Walker is a Fellow of the UK Institute of Physics, and was Chairman of its Scottish Branch, 1993 to 1995. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (RSE) in 1994 and was a member of its Council, 1998 – 2008. He was RSE Vice-President for Physical Sciences and Engineering, 2001 – 2004, and was Fellowship Secretary to the Society, 2005 – 2008. He has published over 200 scientific papers and letters and has lectured widely.
Specialties: He has worked extensively with industry (e.g. BAE Systems, BT, Marconi, Boeing, IBM, Xyratex and numerous SME’s) through a range of collaborative R&D projects. He contributed to the spin-out of Terahertz Photonics Ltd from Heriot-Watt University, as Chairman in its early phase. He was a non-executive director of Technology Ventures Scotland Ltd (2002-05), SeeByte Ltd (2007-13), and the Edinburgh Business School (until 2015).