Prof. Peter Smith from the University of Southampton joins the GFCC as Senior Fellow

We are delighted to welcome Prof. Peter G.R. Smith, a world-leading academic in quantum technologies and optoelectronics, as a new Senior Fellow. Prof. Smith has been involved in academic leadership for several years, serving in multiple roles at the University of Southampton, including Associate Dean, CEO of the University of Southampton Malaysia, and Associate Vice-President and Pro-Vice-Chancellor International Projects.

 

He has led Southampton's international engagement with various university networks, such as the World-Wide Universities Network, RENKEI (where he is currently founding Co-Chair), and the GFCC. As a Senior Fellow, Prof. Smith will provide strategic advice on science, technology, innovation, and higher education to help guide our initiatives.

 

"The GFCC community welcomes Professor Smith as its newest fellow with great enthusiasm. Peter is not only a globally renowned scientist and entrepreneur - innovating at the frontiers of optical science and transforming results into business - but also a fervent advocate and ambassador for competitiveness best practices across borders,” notes GFCC Founder and CEO, the Hon. Deborah L. Wince-Smith.

 

Prof Smith has participated in multiple meetings, visits and GFCC publications in the past five years while representing the University of Southampton. "This is a great personal honour, which I am very pleased to accept. I consistently find the dialogue at GFCC to be hugely stimulating, particularly because it brings together so many voices – from different continents, sectors, perspectives but also the wisdom and friendship of the community", he adds. "The personal invitation to join as a Senior Fellow allows me to continue my direct personal relationship with friends and colleagues made via GFCC, as well as feeling the singular honor of joining such an august fellowship, comprising business and University leaders, politicians, civil servants, policy experts, etc", says Prof. Smith.

 

Prof Smith is currently a Professor of Electronics and Computer Science at the University of Southampton in the United Kingdom (UK). He graduated from St John's College, Oxford University, with a BA in Physics in 1990 and D.Phil in Nonlinear Optics in 1993. After a year as a management consultant, he joined the University of Southampton.

 

He became a Professor in 2005 and leads a research group in quantum technologies, nonlinear optics, and lasers, working on a wide range of areas from laser spectroscopy to polymer-integrated optics. He has published over 450 journal and conference papers in the fields of periodically poled materials and UV written devices at major conferences, including invited talks at national and international meetings. He has 15 licensed patents and has raised over £25m in research funding.

 

In addition to his academic research, Peter has been the founder of two spin-out companies from Southampton. The most recent, Covesion Ltd, is heavily involved in the UK Quantum Technology Programme.

 

To learn more about our fellowship program, click here.