Bob Kirby-Harris (born 12 June 1952) is a former Secretary General of the

International Union of Pure and Applied Physics The International Union of Pure and Applied Physics (IUPAP ) is an international non-governmental organization whose mission is to assist in the worldwide development of physics, to foster international cooperation in physics, and to help in the ...

and Chief Executive of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...

Early life

He went to Ashford Grammar School (now

The Norton Knatchbull School The Norton Knatchbull School is a grammar school with academy status for boys located in Ashford, Kent, England. Girls are accepted into the Sixth Form. As of 2017, the school serves more than one thousand pupils aged 11 to 18. History The ...

). He gained a 1st Class

BSc A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

in Theoretical Physics in 1973 from the

University of Kent , motto_lang = , mottoeng = Literal translation: 'Whom to serve is to reign'(Book of Common Prayer translation: 'whose service is perfect freedom')Graham Martin, ''From Vision to Reality: the Making of the University of Kent at Canterbury'' ...

. From

Clare College, Cambridge Clare College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge in Cambridge, England. The college was founded in 1326 as University Hall, making it the second-oldest surviving college of the University after Peterhouse. It was refounded ...

, he gained an MA in Applied Maths and Theoretical Physics in 1974. From the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

he gained a PGCE (Secondary schools) in 1975. From

Plymouth Polytechnic The University of Plymouth is a public research university based predominantly in Plymouth, England, where the main campus is located, but the university has campuses and affiliated colleges across South West England. With students, it is th ...

he gained a DMS in 1985. From

Lancaster University Lancaster University (legally The University of Lancaster) is a public university, public research university in Lancaster, Lancashire, Lancaster, Lancashire, England. The university was established in 1964 by royal charter, as one of several pla ...

he gained a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in Higher Education Policy in 2003.

Career

School teacher

He was a school teacher from 1975 to 1977 at Wakeford School (now called

Havant Academy Havant Academy is a mixed secondary school located in the Leigh Park area of Havant in the English county of Hampshire. The school is situated at the edge of Staunton Country Park. Previously known as Wakeford Comprehensive School, it gained ...

) in

Havant Havant ( ) is a town in the south-east corner of Hampshire, England between Portsmouth and Chichester. Its borough (population: 125,000) comprises the town (45,826) and its suburbs including the resort of Hayling Island as well as Rowland's Castl ...

Hampshire Hampshire (, ; abbreviated to Hants) is a ceremonial county, ceremonial and non-metropolitan county, non-metropolitan counties of England, county in western South East England on the coast of the English Channel. Home to two major English citi ...

Royal Navy

In 1977 he joined the

Royal Navy The Royal Navy (RN) is the United Kingdom's naval warfare force. Although warships were used by English and Scottish kings from the early medieval period, the first major maritime engagements were fought in the Hundred Years' War against F ...

becoming an instructor and a Lieutenant Commander in 1982. From 1977 to 1979 he was a lecturer in Maths and Electronics at the Royal Navy Weapons Engineering School at

Fareham Fareham ( ) is a market town at the north-west tip of Portsmouth Harbour, between the cities of Portsmouth and Southampton in south east Hampshire, England. It gives its name to the Borough of Fareham. It was historically an important manufact ...

(

HMS Collingwood Three ships and one shore establishment of the British Royal Navy have been named HMS ''Collingwood'', after Admiral Cuthbert Collingwood, 1st Baron Collingwood: * , an 80-gun second-rate ship of the line, converted to screw propulsion in 1861, an ...

). From 1980 to 1983 he was based at

Chatham Chatham may refer to: Places and jurisdictions Canada * Chatham Islands (British Columbia) * Chatham Sound, British Columbia * Chatham, New Brunswick, a former town, now a neighbourhood of Miramichi * Chatham (electoral district), New Brunswic ...

, and from 1983 to 1985 he was a Senior Maths Lecturer at the

Royal Naval Engineering College The Royal Naval Engineering College was a specialist establishment for the training of Royal Navy engineers. It was founded as Keyham College in 1880, new buildings were opened in Manadon, Devon in 1940 and the old college site at Keyham close ...

(RNEC

Manadon Manadon is a suburb of Plymouth in the English county of Devon. It has two primary schools, St Boniface's Catholic College (secondary comprehensive), and is home to the Manadon interchange, on the A38 road. Manadon Park, a development of varyi ...

) at

Plymouth Plymouth () is a port city and unitary authority in South West England. It is located on the south coast of Devon, approximately south-west of Exeter and south-west of London. It is bordered by Cornwall to the west and south-west. Plymouth ...

Academic administration

He has previous held posts as university manager at

Middlesex University Middlesex University London (legally Middlesex University and abbreviated MDX) is a public research university in Hendon, northwest London, England. The name of the university is taken from its location within the historic county boundaries ...

and the

University of Namibia The University of Namibia (UNAM) is a multi-campus public research university in Namibia, as well as the largest university in the country. It was established by an act of Parliament on 31 August 1992. Background UNAM comprises the follow ...

.http://www.timeshighereducation.co.uk/story.asp?storyCode=194140§ioncode=26 'I'm looking forward to making this a memorable year for physics' Since 2008 he has been the Secretary General of the

. He was Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics between 2005 and 2012.

Personal life

In 1979 he married Abigail Mee and they have two sons.

References

External links

IOP
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kirby-Harris, Robert Living people Institute of Physics 1952 births Royal Navy officers Alumni of the University of Kent Alumni of Clare College, Cambridge Alumni of the University of Sussex Alumni of the University of Plymouth Alumni of Lancaster University Schoolteachers from Kent People educated at The Norton Knatchbull School