Role

Rhys Lewis leads the Time, Quantum and Electromagnetics Division at NPL, which covers activity in communications technologies, electromagnetic measurements, timing services, atomic clocks and quantum electronics. The division has 85 scientists and a large number of additional students and guest workers. He has previously worked in a range of areas of NPL.

Rhys joined NPL in 2007 as an interim Division Head in the Optical Technologies and Scientific Computing Team. He then became interim Group Leader for Gas Metrology and Trace Analysis, a world-leading capability at NPL. Having recruited his own replacement, Rhys took the role of interim Group Leader in the Quantum Frequency Standards Group, a technology more closely related to his scientific background. He has now moved to be responsible for the TQEM Division, which includes this group.

Rhys also leads a group within NPL developing new instrumentation products.

Biography

Rhys received a BA degree in Physics in 1980 from the University of Oxford and a DPhil degree in atomic and laser physics, also from Oxford, in 1985. From university he joined a company manufacturing a range of laser products and associated opto-electronic systems, where he was responsible for new product development.

More recently, Rhys led an instrumentation company where he started as Research and Development Manager, leading a team of scientists and engineers in the development of new analytical instrumentation products. He later took responsibility for the whole business unit and was a member of the senior management team for the European operation. For two years he also chaired the water instrumentation networking organisation SWIG (Sensors for Water Interest Group).

After starting an independent consultancy in 2006, Rhys worked for a variety of companies, including roles as CEO of a university start-up company. He was project manager in another SME, developing some advanced imaging-based instrumentation for the water industry. He also had a variety of roles reviewing and assessing technologies within companies and universities. In late 2007, Rhys took an interim role at NPL which led to his current position.

Contact details

E-mail: rhys.lewis@npl.co.uk
Tel: 020 8943 6537