Sir John O'Reilly, DSc FREng Hon FIET Hon FIChemE FRAeS

Visiting Professor at University College London and former Director General of Knowledge and Innovation for UK government (2013-2015) Sir John O’Reilly is Chairman of the Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and a Board member of A*STAR, the Agency for Science Technology and Research in Singapore, where he is also involved with the Quality Assurance Framework for universities for the Ministry of Education.

He was previously Vice-Chancellor of Cranfield University (2006-2013), Chief Executive of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (2001-2006) and has held various industrial research and academic professorial appointments

Active in the profession (RAEng, IET, IEEE etc.) he is a Fellow and former member of Council of the Royal  Academy of Engineering, serves as a Trustee of the Royal Aeronautical Society, a Director of ERA Foundation Ltd., a  Commissioner for the Royal Commission for the Exhibition of 1851 and has for some years chaired NICC, the pan-industry and government body responsible for ensuring telecommunication network and service interoperability in the UK. He is a past-President of EUREL (Association of Electrical Societies in Europe) and of the Institution of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET, formerly IEE).

Author of some 400 research papers in ICT his contributions have been recognised by the award of a number of honorary degrees and fellowships, including appointment as an International Member of Académie Hassan II des Sciences et Techniques and of Academia das Ciências de Lisboa. He received the J J Thompson Medal (IEE 2004) for contributions to electronic engineering and a Knighthood (2007) for contributions to science.