Professor Philip Nelson will serve as the Executive Chair of the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) when it becomes part of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI).
Professor Nelson is currently Chief Executive of EPSRC and has agreed to serve an additional six months beyond his existing term to enable a smooth transition to the new organisation when it comes into existence on 1 April 2018.
Executive Chairs will be crucial to the ambition for UKRI to be a world-leading research and innovation organisation. Each of the nine Councils that will be part of UKRI will be led by an Executive Chair, a role combining the responsibilities of the current Chair and Chief Executive of each Council.
The Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy will launch a recruitment exercise in due course to recruit Professor Nelson's successor.
As the main funding agency for engineering and physical sciences research, EPSRC's vision is for the UK to be the best place in the world to Research, Discover and Innovate. By investing £800 million a year in research and postgraduate training, we are building the knowledge and skills base needed to address the scientific and technological challenges facing the nation. Our portfolio covers a vast range of fields from healthcare technologies to structural engineering, manufacturing to mathematics, advanced materials to chemistry. The research we fund has impact across all sectors. It provides a platform for future economic development in the UK and improvements for everyone's health, lifestyle and culture. We work collectively with our partners and other Research Councils on issues of common concern via Research Councils UK.
Operating across the whole of the UK and with a combined budget of more than £6 billion, UK Research and Innovation will bring together the seven Research Councils, Innovate UK and a new organisation, Research England. UK Research and Innovation intends to be an outstanding organisation that ensures the UK maintains its world leading position in research and innovation. We will ensure that the UK maintains our world-leading research and innovation position by creating a system that maximises the contribution of each of the component parts and creates the best environment for research and innovation to flourish. It will come into existence on 1 April 2018.
Philip Nelson served from 2005-2013 as Pro Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton, with particular responsibility for Research and Enterprise. He previously served as Director of the University's Institute of Sound and Vibration Research and as Director of the Roll-Royce University Technology Centre in Gas Turbine Noise. He holds the post of Professor of Acoustics and has personal research interests in the fields of acoustics, vibrations, signal processing, control systems and fluid dynamics. He is the author or co-author of two books, over 120 papers in refereed journals, 30 granted patents, and over 200 other technical publications. Professor Nelson took on the role of Chair of the RCUK Executive Group from October 2015.