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Vice-President for Business: Professor Robert Lamb FInstP

Term of office: October 2024-September 2028


A headshot of Institute of Physics Vice-President for Business Professor Robert Lamb

Robert is the Chief Research and Technology Officer (CRTO) for the Electronics Division at Leonardo. He began his research career in 1986 at the Ministry of Defence (MoD), investigating optical phase conjugation in high-power solid-state lasers for electro-optic sensor systems. In 1996 he initiated research into single-photon-counting lidar for remote sensing.

In 1999 he won a three-year MoD research fellowship to investigate the use of ultrashort pulse supercontinuum lasers for remote sensing with atmospheric filamentation, during which he transferred to QinetiQ and was appointed a QinetiQ Fellow in 2006.

He moved to Selex (now Leonardo) to head its Future Systems Group and was subsequently appointed Chief Technology Officer for electro-optic systems where he led applied research in novel laser techniques, lidar, photonics, computational image processing, additive manufacturing and quantum technology. 

He has established close collaborations with academia, especially in quantum sensing and neuromorphic processing, supporting several PhD students and linking academic research to Leonardo’s development programmes.

In 2021 he was appointed CRTO to oversee emerging and strategic academic research for Leonardo, linking it to government strategies for semiconductors, quantum technologies and navigation and timing.

He has now initiated research into the use of quantum information processing techniques and integrated photonics for beam switching, modulation, optical data processing and free-space optical communications.

Robert is a Fellow of the IOP, an Honorary Professor of Physics at Heriot-Watt University, and the UK industrial representative on NATO’s Sensors and Electronics Technology Panel.