Christopher Snowden is an engineer and industrialist who has had a profound impact on the use of microwave semiconductor devices in telecommunications and radar systems. His work on the application of modelling techniques in particular has enabled the rapid and accurate development of new semiconductor designs in a variety of industries around the world.

After more than twenty years spent working with major microwave electronics companies in the United Kingdom and abroad, Christopher was appointed CEO of Filtronic and Filtronic Compound Semiconductors in 1999. Under his leadership, the company introduced new semiconductor technology and at one point manufactured a third of the world’s switches for mobile phones.

Christopher is a Fellow of numerous engineering membership bodies, and a recipient of the 2012 Outstanding Career Award from the European Microwave Association. In the same year, he accepted a knighthood for services to engineering and higher education in his capacity as President and Vice-Chancellor of the University of Surrey (2005–2015). He will take up the appointment of Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton in October 2015.