David Davies is an electrical engineer whose work has advanced the practical implementation and effectiveness of antenna arrays and radar. This includes solving problems of efficiently exciting spatial harmonics in circular arrays to synthesise directional patterns. The invention of sensors to measure quantities such as strain and temperature followed directly from his joint work on optical fibres.

David’s radar system expertise meant he was often consulted by the UK Ministry of Defence, and he became its Chief Scientific Adviser in 1993. In his early career, David conducted research for the pre-privatisation railways, and in 1999, he was appointed to head the inquiry on advanced automatic train protection following the disastrous Ladbroke Grove crash.

David’s major awards include the Rank Prize for excellence in optoelectronics and the Faraday Medal of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET). He has been President of both the Institution of Electrical Engineers (now part of the IET) and the Royal Academy of Engineering. Amongst his many roles in higher education, he was Vice-Chancellor at Loughborough University of Technology (now Loughborough University).