Keith Burnett

{{Infobox scientist

| honorific_prefix = Sir

| name = Keith Burnett

| image = Sir Keith Burnett image.jpg

| image_size =

| caption = Sir Keith Burnett, August 2018

| birth_name =

| birth_date = {{birth-date and age|30 September 1953}}

| birth_place = Llwynypia, Wales

| death_date =

| death_place =

| residence =

| nationality = British

| fields = Physics

| workplaces = University of Sheffield
University of Oxford
University of Colorado
Imperial College

| alma_mater = University of Oxford (BA, DPhil)

| known_for =

| awards = Young Medal and Prize (1997)

| footnotes =

}}

Sir Keith Burnett, CBE,{{Cite web |last=Sheffield |first=University of |date=2012-12-29 |title=Knighthood for University of Sheffield Vice-Chancellor Professor Keith Burnett – Archive – News archive – The University of Sheffield |url=https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/keith-burnett-sheffield-new-years-honours-1.232564.html |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=www.sheffield.ac.uk |language=en-GB |archive-date=26 September 2022 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20220926135915/https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/keith-burnett-sheffield-new-years-honours-1.232564.html |url-status=dead }} FRS FLSW{{Cite web |last=Wales |first=The Learned Society of |title=Keith Burnett |url=https://www.learnedsociety.wales/fellow/keith-burnett/ |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=The Learned Society of Wales |language=en-US}} FINSTP (born 30 September 1953){{cite news

| title = Birthdays

| newspaper = The Guardian

| pages = 35

| publisher = Guardian News & Media

| date = 30 September 2014

}} is a Welsh physicist and President of the Institute of Physics. He is Chair of the Nuffield Foundation{{Cite web |title=Our People {{!}} About |url=https://www.nuffieldfoundation.org/about/our-people |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=Nuffield Foundation |language=en-GB}} — an independent charitable trust with a mission to advance educational opportunity and social well-being, founding Chair of the Academic Council the Schmidt Science Fellows,{{Cite web |title=Professor Sir Keith Burnett CBE FRS |url=https://schmidtsciencefellows.org/person/professor-sir-keith-burnett-cbe-frs/ |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=Schmidt Science Fellows |language=en-US}} and a member of the Board of international education providers Study Group.{{Cite web |title=The Board {{!}} About Study Group |url=https://www.studygroup.com/the-board |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=www.studygroup.com |language=en}}

Burnett is past Vice-Chancellor of the University of Sheffield.{{Cite web |url=http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/707-1.175068 |title=University of Sheffield press release 19 Dec 2006 |access-date=28 December 2012 |archive-date=5 July 2018 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20180705062820/https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/news/nr/707-1.175068 |url-status=dead }} Burnett announced his retirement in January 2018 and he stepped down in September of that year{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/staff/vc-retirement|title=Online Services|publisher=University of Sheffield|access-date=29 January 2018|archive-date=13 December 2019|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20191213163629/https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/staff/vc-retirement|url-status=dead}} when he was succeeded by Koen Lamberts.{{Cite web|url=https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/staff/news/koen-lamberts-appointment-1.788643|title=University appoints Professor Koen Lamberts as President and Vice-Chancellor – Latest news – Staff – The University of Sheffield|last=Sheffield|first=University of|publisher=University of Sheffield|access-date=4 July 2018}}{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} He received an Honorary degree from the University of Sheffield in July 2022.{{Cite web |date=2022-07-05 |title=Honorary graduates |url=https://www.sheffield.ac.uk/graduation/honorary-graduates |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=www.sheffield.ac.uk |language=en}} He is an honorary fellow of Jesus College, Oxford{{Cite web |title=Professor Sir Keith Burnett Kt, CBE, FRS, FInstP |url=https://www.jesus.ox.ac.uk/about-jesus-college/our-community/people/professor-sir-keith-burnett-kt-cbe-frs-finstp/ |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=Jesus College |language=en-GB}} and St John's College, Oxford{{Cite web |title=Sir Keith Burnett |url=https://www.sjc.ox.ac.uk/discover/people/sir-keith-burnett/ |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=St John's College |language=en}} where he was a tutorial fellow for 20 years.

Burnett has a long-standing commitment to vocational and technical education, advocating for the development of high-level vocational education and apprenticeships{{Cite journal |last=Burnett |first=Kieth |date=2015 |title=The future of higher vocational education: advanced apprenticeships: uniting universities and industry in manufacturing the UK's economic future |url=http://hdl.voced.edu.au/10707/364233 |journal=VOCEDplus}} and serving as the President of the Science Council{{Cite web |date=2016-09-15 |title=Sir Keith Burnett to be new Science Council President |url=https://sciencecouncil.org/sir-keith-burnett-to-be-new-science-council-president/ |access-date=2022-09-26 |website=The Science Council ~ |language=en-GB}} and on the board of the National Technician Development Centre and of Heated.

Biography

Burnett was born in Llwynypia in the Rhondda Valley. He attended the Brynteg School before studying Physics at Jesus College, Oxford obtaining a BA degree in 1975 then a DPhil degree in 1979. He held academic positions in Physics at the University of Colorado, Imperial College and the University of Oxford before taking up the role of vice chancellor at the University of Sheffield in 2007. During his time at the University of Oxford he was appointed Chairman of Physics and then Head of the Division of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences.[http://www.sheffield.ac.uk/vc/biography www.sheffield.ac.uk] Biography: Professor Keith Burnet His research includes the study of Bose–Einstein condensates.

Memberships

He was Chair of the board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) from October 2009 to September 2011.[http://www.ucea.ac.uk/en/news/index.cfm/03SEPT2009 www.ucea.ac.uk]{{Dead link|date=April 2025 |bot=InternetArchiveBot |fix-attempted=yes }} UCEA announces new chair of board

On 1 November 2010 he was appointed as a non-executive director of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority,[http://www.uk-atomic-energy.org.uk/about_corp_gov.html www.uk-atomic-energy.org.uk] UKAEA Corporate Governance a position he was due to hold until October 2013.[http://www.bis.gov.uk/cst/about-cst/members www.bis.gov.uk/cst/] UK Council for Science and Technology – Members

He is also currently a member of the United Kingdom government's Council for Science and Technology, and in September 2016 was elected president of the Science Council.{{Cite web|url=https://sciencecouncil.org/sir-keith-burnett-to-be-new-science-council-president/|title=Sir Keith Burnett to be new Science Council President|date=15 September 2016|website=The Science Council|access-date=12 August 2019}} He was appointed to the Advisory Council of Infrastructure UK in 2012 to advise the UK treasury on investments including on energy, transport, waste, flood, science, water and telecoms. In March 2015 he joined the management board of HEFCE.[http://www.hefce.ac.uk/news/newsarchive/2015/Name,103833,en.html HEFCE News] 27 March 2015 In 2021 he was elected President-elect of the Institute of Physics, serving on the IoP Council until taking up the post of President in 2023.{{Cite web|url=https://www.iop.org/about/news/new-iop-council-members-take-up-posts|title = New IOP Council members take up posts}}

Personal

He is married and has two children. His interests include the Chinese language and culture.

Honours

He was awarded the Young Medal and Prize in 1997 for his physics research[http://www.iop.org/about/awards/subject/young/medallists/page_38619.html Institute of Physics] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150318183013/http://www.iop.org/about/awards/subject/young/medallists/page_38619.html |date=18 March 2015 }} Young medal recipients and in 2001 was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2004 for services to physics,[http://www.timesonline.co.uk/tol/news/uk/article840434.ece The Times (online) 31 December 2003]{{dead link|date=September 2024|bot=medic}}{{cbignore|bot=medic}} and knighted for services to science and higher education in the 2013 New Year Honours.{{cite web |url=http://www.cabinetoffice.gov.uk/sites/default/files/resources/NY2013-list.pdf#page=2 |title=Knights Bachelor |publisher=Cabinet Office |date=29 December 2012 |access-date=29 December 2012}}{{London Gazette |issue=60367 |date=29 December 2012 |page=1 |supp=y }} In 2013, he was elected a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.{{Cite web |last=Wales |first=The Learned Society of |title=Keith Burnett |url=https://www.learnedsociety.wales/fellow/keith-burnett/ |access-date=2023-08-29 |website=The Learned Society of Wales |language=en-US}}