AN academic who once featured on TV show Robot Wars has taken charge of Edinburgh Napier’s School of Engineering and the Built Environment.
Professor Simeon Keates has been appointed Dean after five years at the University of Greenwich, where he managed a range of engineering disciplines. His special interests include inclusive design, Artificial Intelligence, human-computer interaction and robotics.
Professor Keates left Cambridge in 2003 after completing an MA and PhD in engineering and spending seven years as a research fellow specialising in inclusive design and rehabilitation robotics. He had spells in industry in America with IBM and ITA Software, before taking up roles as associate professor at the IT University of Copenhagen, then Head of the School of Engineering, Computing and Applied Mathematics at Abertay University. He joined the University of Greenwich as Dean of the School of Engineering and later became deputy pro vice chancellor in the Faculty of Engineering and Science.
Professor Keates said, “I am truly delighted to take on this role. Edinburgh Napier has an excellent reputation for preparing students for the world of work. We wish to build on that as we prepare graduates not only for jobs today, but also for the jobs of the future.”
A robot he helped build from an upturned shopping trolley, other scrap metal and an old wheelchair motor featured on Robot Wars.
