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Name: | Dr. Leslie Thomas Falkingham |
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He was made a Fellow of the Institution of Electrical Engineers (IEE) in 1988 and a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE) in 1987. He is a Chartered Engineer in the UK (C.Eng) and is also a European Engineer (Eur.Ing). He is also a Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (IEEE) and he is currently the Secretary of the PISC of the ISDEIV. He graduated from Lanchester Polytechnic, Coventry, England, in 1978 with BSc (Hons) in Combined Electrical and Mechanical Engineering, and obtained his PhD by part time study from Cranfield University (UK) in 2002. His thesis was on the subject of optimization of industrial R&D and R&D Strategy. He is currently a Visiting Fellow of Cranfield University. He is a member of the Permanent International Scientific Committee of the International Symposium for Discharges and Electrical Insulation in Vacuum (ISDEIV) and is also a personal member of CIGRE and also a member of the Current Zero Club. His employment experience includes; Over ten years at Vacuum Interrupters Limited, London, England which he joined as a graduate apprentice and where he performed R&D, and designed and developed vacuum interrupters ending up as engineering manager. This was followed by two years with GEC South Africa where he designed and built a new factory near Johannesburg to manufacture the vacuum interrupters he had designed. After which he spent ten years with GEC Alsthom Rugby where he built up and then led the ALSTOM World Centre of Excellence for Vacuum Switching Technology and in addition was heavily involved with the ALSTOM vacuum interrupter plant in Calcutta, India. In 2001, he has been Technology Director for ALSTOM T&D and AREVA T&D Medium Voltage Business, based in the T&D head office, Paris, France. Starting in 2005, he is now the Managing Director of Vacuum Interrupters Limited (VIL) in Rugby, England. He has spent most of his working life involved in the research, design, development, and manufacture of vacuum interrupters and switches for medium voltage vacuum switchgear. He holds a number of patents, and is an acknowledged expert internationally in this field. During his career he has produced papers and presented lectures on the technology world-wide. His special fields of interest include: All aspects of vacuum interrupter design & manufacture; R&D Management & Strategy and in particular the optimisation of industrial R&D. He received the Nelson Gold Medal from GEC 1n 1997 for “outstanding technical innovation”, and the J.J. Thomson Medal of the IEE in 2002 for “distinguished contribution to electronic engineering” and the IEEE Fellowship for the class of 2007 for "contribution to the development and commercialization of vacuum interrupter technology". Contact Details: Tel Office: +44 (0) 7764 814 722 |
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