Tell us about your background
I was born in Glasgow but subsequently moved to Paisley and was schooled at West Primary & then Castlehead High before obtaining a BSc and a PhD from the Metallurgy Department at Strathclyde. In 1987 I moved to Edinburgh for my first job as a Development Metallurgist at what was then Cameron Iron Works in Livingston, West Lothian, and after moving into a technical management role there I completed an MBA at the University of Edinburgh. I emigrated to the USA in 2001, being initially employed in the Southwest then moving to the Northeast in 2008.
Why did you choose Strathclyde?
In high school I preferred mathematics, chemistry and physics over other subjects and toured several universities expecting to focus on one of these or on my passion, astronomy. At Strathclyde, I was introduced to metallurgy, which would allow me to focus on all three disciplines. With a growing desire to give back to society rather than follow an astronomical hobby based career, and with the Strathclyde ethos of being ‘the place of useful learning’ I had found my fit.
Where are you now?
My career has remained in metallurgical engineering. Following my PhD, I moved to Edinburgh and spent my first 15 years in an American multi-national satellite in Livingston, before moving in 2001 to a British owned competitor in the USA, in Nevada and California. Since then I have moved upstream in the manufacturing supply chain and am currently Executive Vice President and Chief Technology Officer of Universal Stainless, headquartered south of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, being responsible for Metallurgical Engineering and Quality Assurance functions across our four facilities in Pennsylvania, Ohio & New York.
What has been the highlight of your career so far?
Throughout my career I have been involved in metallurgical applications in various markets, but always dominated by aerospace which has driven many metallurgical related developments across the decades. A highlight has been being a part of driving technical and related organizational progress in various companies across the years, along with the opportunity to travel to many countries and meet many interesting characters along the way. Outside of my Company responsibilities, another highlight is activities with the Forging Industry Association and the related Forging Industry Educational & Research Foundation in supporting research funding and scholarships.