)
As managing director for applied research, Professor Tim Whitley is accountable for all of BT’s global research activities. He is also managing director for Adastral Park, HQ of BT’s global research and engineering, and home to one of the largest technology clusters in the UK.
Tim joined BT as an apprentice engineer and during his 40-year career has held many positions, ranging from advanced optical-fibre research to technology consultancy, technical architecture, and corporate strategy.
He is a BT distinguished engineer, BT William Pitt Fellow at Pembroke College Cambridge, a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering & Technology, and a Fellow of the ITP (formerly The Institute of Telecommunications Professionals).
Tim is a visiting professor with the Computer Science and Electrical Engineering department at Essex University and serves on the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC), the body responsible for funding science and engineering in UK universities.
I feel both humbled and honoured to be recognised in this way by UEA. The University has a fantastic reputation not only for scholarly excellence but also for tirelessly applying ‘new knowledge’ to the benefit of society. This focus on ‘applied research’ has been at the core of my own career with BT and thus it is particularly exciting to be recognised by UEA.