ECS Professor joins elite group of IEEE Fellows

Professor William Redman-White of Electronics and Computer Science has been elected a Fellow of the IEEE (the Institute of Electrical and Electronic Engineers) in recognition of his significant contributions to integrated circuit and system design for communications.

Professor Redman-White joins an elite group from around the world of those recognised by the IEEE for their unusual distinction in the world of electrical and electronic technology. The IEEE is the world’s leading professional association for the advancement of technology in areas ranging from aerospace systems, computers and telecommunications to biomedical engineering, electric power and consumer electronics. Elevation to Fellowship status follows a rigorous evaluation procedure. The formal presentation was made by the President of the IEEE in San Francisco at the International Solid State Circuits Conference. This is the leading technical event for the IC design community in both industry and academia, and Professor Redman-White served as the analogue committee chair for many years.

Unusually, while maintaining an active academic position in Southampton, Professor Redman-White has spent the great majority of his career in industry, and the recognition as a Fellow is primarily for his contributions in Integrated Circuit (IC) architecture and design during 21 years of working with Philips Semiconductors (latterly NXP), in Southampton, France and California. As one of just a handful of senior Engineering Fellows within the company, he provided technical leadership for engineers and management in many IC product areas including cellular telecoms, wireless LAN, optical storage and TV.

Professor Redman-White is convinced that such joint positions are of great benefit to academic engineering staff who specialise in the more applied areas: ‘Many Masters and PhD projects with direct industrial relevance have been fostered,’ he says - ‘for example, filter circuits developed in a PhD with Philips are now widely used in most mobile phone and WiFi ICs’. In addition to these very near-market projects, Professor Redman-White has also led more academic research into design issues specific to Silicon on Insulator (SOI) technology, and has made a significant contribution to device characterisation and CAD modelling. His current academic work also includes power management, and he continues to work actively in industry in the area of high-speed communications.

‘The industrial experience has also proved to be of great benefit to the content and relevance of University courses,’ he adds. ‘Students attending my analogue and wireless courses are frequently reminded that cost and manufacturability are critical factors, even at the design stage.' These courses have also been made accessible to industry, and scores of delegates have taken advantage.