Peter Williams (physicist)

{{For|other people of that name|Peter Williams (disambiguation)}}

{{Infobox scientist

| honorific_prefix = {{pns|Sir|size=100%}}

| name = Peter Williams

| honorific_suffix = {{postnom|country=GBR|CBE|FRS|HonFInstP|FREng|size=100%}}

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| birth_name = Peter Michael Williams

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|df=yes|1945|03|22}}

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| nationality = British

| fields = Physics

| workplaces = Selwyn College, Cambridge
Imperial College London

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| education = Hymers College

| alma_mater = Trinity College, Cambridge
Selwyn College, Cambridge

| thesis_title = Defect structure and luminescent properties of semiconductors

| thesis_url = http://ethos.bl.uk/OrderDetails.do?uin=uk.bl.ethos.477453

| thesis_year = 1969

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Sir Peter Michael Williams,{{cite web|title=Birthday's today|url= https://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2012-3-22.html |archive-url= https://web.archive.org/web/20120322004905/http://www.telegraph.co.uk/archive/2012-3-22.html |url-status= dead |archive-date= 22 March 2012 |work=The Telegraph|access-date=20 April 2014|date=22 March 2012|quote=Sir Peter Williams, Chancellor, University of Leicester, 2005–10; Master of St Catherine's College, Oxford, 2000–2002, 67 }} {{post-nominals|country=GBR|CBE|FRS|HonFInstP|FREng}}{{cite web|title=List of Fellows|url=http://www.raeng.org.uk/about-us/people-council-committees/the-fellowship/list-of-fellows}} (born 22 March 1945) is a British physicist.

Education

Williams was educated at Hymers College and completed his undergraduate degree at Trinity College, Cambridge, in 1966,Cambridge University List of Members 1976 and his PhD at Selwyn College, Cambridge, with a thesis entitled "Defect structure and luminescent properties of semiconductors" in 1969.

Career

He began an academic career at Selwyn College, Cambridge. He then moved to industry and worked first at VG Instruments. He was chief executive of Oxford Instruments from its flotation in 1983 until his retirement in 1998.{{cite web|url=http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/entrepreneurship/Documents/Martin_Wood.pdf|title=Sir Martin Wood and Oxford Instruments|publisher=Oxford University|access-date=17 September 2011|url-status=dead|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120404033634/http://www.sbs.ox.ac.uk/centres/entrepreneurship/Documents/Martin_Wood.pdf|archive-date=4 April 2012|df=dmy-all}}

Sir Peter is currently chairman of the National Physical Laboratory and vice-president and treasurer of the Royal Society. He was previously master of St Catherine's College, Oxford (2000–2002), president of the Institute of Physics (2000–2002), president of the British Association for the Advancement of Science (2002–2003) and chairman of the UK's Engineering and Technology Board (2001–2006).{{cite web | url = http://www.etechb.co.uk/uploads/Catalyst%2025.pdf | title = Sir Gareth Roberts appointed as chairman | access-date = 8 February 2007 | url-status = dead | archive-url = https://web.archive.org/web/20060927053026/http://www.etechb.co.uk/uploads/Catalyst%2025.pdf | archive-date = 27 September 2006 | df = dmy-all }} He has been a member of the InterAcademy Council's Committee to Review the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change that reported in August 2010.

In 2005 Williams became the fifth chancellor of the University of Leicester. He was also appointed patron for research at Marie Curie Cancer Care. He retired from this position in 2010. In 2015 Williams was appointed chairman of Kromek, an innovative British tech company making detectors for the medical, security and nuclear sectors.{{cite web |title=Former Oxford Instruments and GKN chief returns to City |website=The Daily Telegraph |date=26 September 2015 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20190306043628/https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11893339/Former-Oxford-Instruments-and-GKN-chief-returns-to-City.html |archive-date=2019-03-06 |url-status=live |url=https://www.telegraph.co.uk/finance/11893339/Former-Oxford-Instruments-and-GKN-chief-returns-to-City.html}}

Awards

He was elected as Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 1996. He received the CBE in 1992 and was knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list of 1998.

He was elected a fellow of the Royal Society in May 1999.

He won the Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize in 2005.

Other work

He was on the governing body of Abingdon School from 1997 to 2000.{{cite web |url=https://beta.companieshouse.gov.uk/company/03625063/officers?page=3|title=Directors|publisher=Companies House}}

Peter Williams (physicist)

Education

Career

Awards

Other work

References

Further reading