Dr Bill MacPherson

Job title

Member of Senate

Qualifications

FInstP

Bill has been an academic in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences for a number of years. He is involved with teaching in Physics and research in Photonics. Bill is an elected representative on Senate and one of the Senate representatives to Court. The role of academic representation on Court is important to help foster links between the University governing body and the day-to-day activities in the University.

Bill has contributed to the Optical Fibre Sensors series of conferences and the associated European Workshops as part of technical and organising committees. He has also been an external examiner for research thesis' and also for undergraduate programmes, which brings a useful perspective of how other departments are run in higher education institutions elsewhere in the UK.

Bill graduated with an Honours degree in Physics and subsequently a PhD from Heriot-Watt in the late 1990s and early 2000s, respectively.

While studying for his PhD, Bill experienced several different aspects of Heriot-Watt University as part of the Campus Accommodation Warden Team. This provided a great insight to the range of backgrounds and challenges that affect our students. Post-PhD, he spent time as a Post-Doc researcher and was appointed lecturer. Since then, he has been Academic Head of Physics and is currently part of the Academic Quality team in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences. He has research activities in Optical Fibre Instrumentation and is part of the CDT in Applied Photonics management team.

Bill is an associate professor in Physics and a member of the Applied Optics and Photonics research group in the School of Engineering and Physical Sciences at the Edinburgh Campus. His research interests are centred around the application of optical and fibre-optic techniques for measurement and instrumentation. This work includes high bandwidth temperature and pressure sensors for aerodynamic measurements, novel fibres for structural monitoring, vibration and acceleration measurement, and studies into potential sensing applications of novel microstructured fibres. Recent work includes monitoring in remote environments, including sub-sea hydrodynamic flow measurement. Current projects include biomedical applications of optical fibre sensors, and condition monitoring in harsh environments.

Bill has an interest in the outdoors and enjoys hillwalking, canoeing and skiing. Highlights have included multi-day canoe trips in Canada, climbing Mount Saint Helens and skiing in New Zealand, as well as exploring the Highlands of Scotland.

As well as Court, Bill is a member of the Court Interim Business Committee.