Our Steering Board
Photonics Scotland is supported by a highly experienced and enthusiastic steering board from across the photonics sector.
Photonics Scotland Chairman
Dr. Chris Dorman
Vice President and General Manager, Coherent Inc
Chris Dorman is Vice President and General Manager at Coherent Inc a global leader in lasers and photonics components. Based in the Glasgow facility, he joined Coherent in 2002 as a Product Line Manager and has held various Business Management positions. He has an MA in Physics from Oxford University and a PhD in Lasers and Quantum Physics from Imperial College, London. He is currently Chair of the UK Photonics Leadership Group, served on the Technology Advisory Group of Scottish Enterprise, is a visiting Professor to the University of Strathclyde and a Fellow of the Institute of Physics.
Simon Andrews
Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd
Simon Andrews, CEng, FInstP
Executive Director,
Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd
Simon Andrews leads Fraunhofer UK Research Ltd, the headquarters for UK Fraunhofer Centres, which was created following an invitation from UK Government to Fraunhofer-Gesellschaft. He supports the first centre, Fraunhofer Centre for Applied Photonics, based at the University of Strathclyde, in Glasgow. He seeks to establish further UK centres which will also follow the proven German model of providing professional R&D services to industry, whilst staying connected to excellent research in the university sector.
Fraunhofer CAP is succeeding in its mission to help the UK economy by providing high quality applied R and D in lasers and optics, for industry.
Simon is a physicist and engineer who spent many years in the photonics and medical device industries, often taking innovation from concept to market. His love of excellent science, international collaboration and practical innovation have driven his efforts on both sides, and in the middle, of the technical and commercial ‘valley of death’.
He also sits on the boards of Photonics Leaderhip Ltd and AIRTO Ltd, the Association of Innovation, Research and Technology Organisations.
Tracey Skivington
Thales UK
Dr Tracey Skivington, CPhys, MInstP
Electro-Optics Consultant
Thales UK
Tracey is an Electro-Optics Consultant at Thales UK, based in Glasgow. She originally joined Thales over 20 years ago as a laser engineer before moving into the field of electro-optics engineering. Her area of expertise is in the radiometric modelling of electro-optics sensors across many different platforms, including land, sea and air. Tracey also leads the Glasgow Specialities team comprising of specialist engineers from disciplines in lasers, optics, electro-optics, algorithms and control systems and is responsible for strengthening the talent pipeline in these areas. She enjoys getting involved in activities that encourage children to develop an interest in STEM.
Mat Wasley
KTN
Mat Wasley
Photonics Lead
Knowledge Transfer Network
Mat is the photonics lead at the Knowledge Transfer Network. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics and began his career in defence science before moving to project management and business development roles in industry and academia. He coordinated Scotland’s activity under the International Year of Light, coordinating the launch event, particularly industrial aspects, and supporting national activity. Mat joined KTN in 2016 to develop and support business-business and business-research collaborations across the UK and beyond. He runs a number of activities and events relating to photonics and is a member of a number of photonics boards and steering groups, including the UK Photonics Leadership Group, Welsh Optoelectronics Forum, and the Association for Industrial Laser Users.
Dr. Caroline Cantley
SRPe
Dr. Caroline Cantley
Executive Director
Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering (SRPe)
Dr Caroline Cantley is the Executive Director of the Scottish Research Partnership in Engineering (www.srpe.ac.uk) the Pan-Scotland academic research partnership comprised of ten universities engaged in world-class engineering research.
Caroline’s career spans both industry and academia, focused on engineering, technology-based business and research. Her current role, as Executive Director of SRPe, involves providing leadership and strategic direction to the creation of critical mass in engineering in Scotland to help attract investment, leading researchers, industrial engagement, skills development and entrepreneurship and promote Scotland’s strengths within the globalised world economy. Her previous experience covers a broad spectrum of roles including providing technical consultancy advice and services to energy clients around the globe and on ground breaking collaborative multi-national projects such as the University of Glasgow Institute for Gravitational Research programme developing the LIGO gravitational wave detector network in the US.
Her focus is on the creation of value for the Scottish economy working closely with industry and the public sector / Scottish Government to drive increased research excellence, socio-economic impact and strategic skills development in areas critical to the future prosperity of Scotland and the UK.
Caroline is Chartered Physicist; a Member of the Scottish Science Advisory Council of the Scottish Government; a Member of the Research and Knowledge Exchange Committee for the Scottish Funding Council; a Member of the Higher Education and Industry STEM Coordination Group for Education Scotland; a Member of the Council of Photonics Scotland; and Vice-Chair of the Physics Industrial Advisory Board of the University of the West of Scotland. She graduated from the University of Glasgow with a BSc (1st Hons) in Physics with Geology and a PhD in Experimental Physics in the field of gravitational wave detection.
Allan Colquhoun
Leonardo
Dr Allan B Colquhoun FInstP
Chairman
Technology Scotland
Dr Allan B Colquhoun FInstP is the Chair of Technology Scotland and a Council Member of Photonics Scotland and past Chair of the Scottish Optoelectronics Association. He has a BSc and PhD from the University of Strathclyde and has been employed by Leonardo and its predecessor companies for over 30 years in a wide variety of roles in engineering, management, strategy and business development. He is currently the University Liaison and Emerging Technologies Manager working with Scottish and UK wide organisations, institutions and agencies to develop the technology and talent pipeline. is the Chair of Technology Scotland and a Council Member of Photonics Scotland and past Chair of the Scottish Optoelectronics Association. He has a BSc and PhD from the University of Strathclyde and has been employed by Leonardo and its predecessor companies for over 30 years in a wide variety of roles in engineering, management, strategy and business development. He is currently the University Liaison and Emerging Technologies Manager working with Scottish and UK wide organisations, institutions and agencies to develop the technology and talent pipeline.
Duncan Walker
Walker Optics
Duncan Walker
Freelance Optical Designer
Duncan Walker is a freelance optical designer, based in Edinburgh, with over 15 years of designing and building optical and laser systems. His capabilities include classical optical design, laser system design and characterisation and LED illumination systems. Having spent time working in Germany at Carl Zeiss SMT, he is fluent in German as well as English which is his native language.
For design and analysis of optical systems he uses the following software packages:
– Zemax for core optical analysis
– Matlab for additional modelling where required
Prior to setting up Walker Optics he worked for companies in a number of different areas including:
– The Technology Partnership – technical consultancy
– Nortel Networks (Coretek) and Azna – telecommunications
– SPI Lasers – industrial fibre lasers
– Carl Zeiss SMT – photolithography