Surrey professor joins the best of engineering

Wednesday 16 July 2008

Professor Silva is the Director of the Advanced Technology Institute and heads the Nano-Electronics Centre (NEC), which is an interdisciplinary research activity. The NEC currently has over 50 research staff. In 2003 the largest EPSRC Portfolio award was made to Professor Silva and his team on Integrated Electronics, which was followed in 2004 by a SRIF award for £4m to set up the NEC for multidisciplinary research.

His research interest encompasses a wide range of activities, with nano electronics and renewables being two themes that are very important to the whole effort. In addition to nano electronics, the characterisation, growth and processing of novel semiconductor materials for large area electronic applications is central to the group activity.

Professor Silva is a founder and non-executive director of three start-up activities. One of these is Surrey NanoSystems Ltd which won the award for the best start-up by The Engineer magazine for 2007. He has most recently helped create a private-public partnership to promote the infusion of nanotechnology into industry in the ‘Sri Lanka Institute of Nanotechnology (SLINTec)’, in Colombo, where he acted as an Advisor to the Minister of Science and Technology, Sri Lanka.

On being asked how he felt about joining the best of engineering, Professor Silva commented: "I am delighted to be part of the fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering, which is one of the premier engineering academies of the world. This will help me to further promote and accelerate the process of transforming science into technologies, which enables national development and wealth creation for the nation. The importance of engineers in the process of national development the world over must be recognised by all policy makers, and ensure their involvement at all stages of governance."

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