Energy Efficient Telecoms Networks – Report Launch and Reception

Professor Sir David Payne

Leading Professor and Director of the Optoelectronics Research Centre, University of Southampton

Prof D. N. Payne is a research pioneer in photonics, having been in the field for over 45 years.  David’s contributions are acknowledged as seminal in many areas of optical telecommunications, one of the greatest scientific successes of the last three decades. His work spans many other areas of photonics, from optical sensors to nanophotonics and optical materials.  He has made several of the key technical achievements in almost every area of optical fibre technologies and his work has had a direct impact on telecommunications, as well as nearly all fields of optical R&D.  He is the most highly honoured UK scientist in photonics.  

David’s pioneering work in fibre fabrication in the 70’s resulted in almost all of the special fibres in use today.  He led the team that in 1985 first announced the silica fibre laser and the Erbium-Doped Optical Amplifier (EDFA), the device that fuelled an explosive growth in the internet through its ability to transmit and amplify vast amounts of data.  The EDFA is widely regarded as being one of the foremost and most significant developments in modern telecommunications.  The fibre laser is now also undergoing rapid growth for application in manufacturing and defence.  He led the team that to international acclaim broke the kilowatt barrier for fibre laser output.

Unusually, David combines world-leading science with commercial activities and has been the driving force behind a several spinout companies, creating wealth and employment in the surrounding area. He has been awarded the top American, European and Japanese prizes in photonics, a very rare achievement.

He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Russian and the Norwegian Academy of Sciences, the IET, the Optical Society of America and SPIE. He is also a Fellow of the Indian National Science Academy and the Indian Academy of Engineering.  David is the 8^th winner of Berthold Leibinger Future 2021 Prize for pioneering research in the field of Fibre optics as well and has also received the VinFuture Foundation Grand Prize 2022 for his breakthrough in the erbium-doped fibre amplifier (EDFA) which made possible the internet optical backbone.

Dr Mike Short CBE

Chief Architect, Satellite Applications Catapult

No bio provided

Helen Duncan

Chief Marketing Officer, Blueshift Memory

Helen Duncan is Chief Marketing Officer of Blueshift Memory, a semiconductor IP startup. She is also a technical writer and content marketing consultant, specialising in the RF and wireless industries as well as semiconductors. Following an early career as a microwave design engineer, she was marketing manager for two global semiconductor manufacturers, then editor of Microwave Engineering Europe for 12 years. In recent years she has been a freelance contributor on RF and 5G to leading technical and business publications, and has taken part in podcasts about 5G and telecoms resilience. In 2021 she was called to provide evidence to the UK Parliamentary committee on the Telecom Security Bill. She has a degree in Electronic Engineering, is a Chartered Engineer and member of the IET, IEEE and CIPR. 

Sophie Greaves

Head of Telecoms and Spectrum Policy, techUK

Sophie Greaves is Head of Telecoms at techUK, and represents the most innovative and impactful companies in the UK’s communications ecosystem, spearheading valuable policy work in telecoms security, adoption of advanced connectivity, and wider market development.

Sophie also oversees the Spectrum Policy Forum, the UK’s proactive industry-led sounding board on future policy and approaches on spectrum. The Forum is a cross-industry agent for promoting the role of spectrum in society and the maximisation of its economic and social value to the UK.

Prior to joining techUK, she completed a masters in Film Studies at UCL. Her dissertation focused on the commercial relationships and digital infrastructure of Netflix, its impact on the media industry, and how the streaming platform interacted with telecommunications regulators and ISPs. She was included in the 2023 Women in Trade Association Powerlist and recognised as one of the most influential people in UK tech by Computer Weekly's UKtech50 Longlist.

Dr Andy Sellars

Strategic Development Director, CSA Catapult

Andy developed the business case and strategy for the £50m Compound Semiconductor Applications Catapult, submitting it to HM Treasury in 2015. He led the Catapult start-up from 2017, representing the Catapult during roundtable discussions with the Prime Minister, and joining the Secretary of State during the GREAT Festival of Innovation in Hong Kong. Andy is regularly called as an expert witness to provide evidence to Parliamentary committees, most recently on the National Security and Investment Act, the Telecom Security Act and the Parliamentary committee on semiconductors.

Andy joined the Catapult from Innovate UK, where he delivered £15m of strategic investments in electronics, smart materials and compound semiconductors. His early career was spent leading R&D teams with Rolls Royce, Spirent PLC and Abbott Diagnostics, and he was prime consultant on film and TV lighting for James Bond and Sky News.

Andy holds an Executive MBA from Glasgow University, a research doctorate from Strathclyde University and is a Fellow of the IET.