Alistair MacFarlane

Professor Sir Alistair George James MacFarlane (born 9 May 1931)CBE FRS FRSE is a British electrical engineer; leading academic; past Principal and Vice Chancellor of Heriot-Watt University, Edinburgh, and past Rector, University of the Highlands and Islands.

Born on 9 May 1931, MacFarlane was educated at the former Hamilton Academy described by Sir Tam Dalyell as “a remarkable school... acting as a magnet for the most academically gifted youngsters of Lanarkshire.”

He continued his studies at the University of Glasgow from which he graduated BSc and was (thereafter awarded DSc), the University of London, PhD and the University of Manchester, MSc.

Following working as an engineer with the laboratories of the Metropolitan-Vickers Electrical Company Ltd., in 1959 Alistair MacFarlane was appointed Lecturer, Electrical Engineering, at Queen Mary College, University of London; promoted to Reader in 1965.

Transferring to University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology in 1966 as Reader in Control Engineering, he was appointed Professor in 1969. Moving on to the University of Cambridge, MacFarlane was there appointed Professor of Control Engineering (1974–1990) and served as Head, Information Engineering Division, and Fellow, Selwyn College, Cambridge, 1974–78, and as Vice-Master, 1980-88. He has been an Honorary Fellow of the college since 1978.

...
Wikipedia