Prof Hugh Mccann (FREng, BSc, PhD, FIET, CEng, MInstP, SMIEEE) - personal details

I graduated BSc (1976) in Physics and PhD (1980) in High-Energy Particle Physics (HEPP), at the University of Glasgow. Using the accelerators at CERN (Geneva) and DESY (Hamburg), I did post-doctoral research in HEPP with the Victoria University of Manchester (1979 - 1986), including 4 years' secondment to DESY, to study electron-positron annihilation.

I then carried out research at Royal Dutch/Shell for 10 years, based at the Thornton Research Centre of Shell Global Solutions. I worked initially in explosion hazards, then as founding Group Leader of Shell's specialist Engine Measurements group (1989-1995), before doing a spell as Senior Scientist in automotive lubricant formulation.  

After joining UMIST in 1996, I was Head of the School of Electrical and Electronic Engineering (EEE) (1999-2002), with various spells as Deputy Head and leading the School's research activity. I coordinated the School's RAE2008 submission, which saw us achieve the joint second-highest rating in the UK for Electrical & Electronic Engineering.

I was Chairman of the UK Professors and Heads of Electrical Engineering (PHEE) 2002-2005, and I have served as Chairman of the IET Scholarships Committee since 2006.

In my teaching activity, I have established a strong thread of measurement and instrumentation in the School's under-graduate programmes, as well as directing our post-graduate taught instrumentation programme (1997-2004).

 In the process of merging with the Victoria University of Manchester in 2004, I founded the Sensing, Imaging and Signal Processing Group (SISP). Since 2005, I have been Chairman of the Virtual Centre for Industrial & Process Tomography (VCIPT), which also involves the University of Leeds and several subscribing companies.

As a member of the JADE collaboration at DESY, I shared in the award of the European Physical Society Special Prize in 1995, for studies of Quantum Chromo-Dynamics carried out at DESY. My work on muon-pair analysis proved the existence of the 'top' quark that was subsequently observed directly at Fermilab (USA) in 1994.

At Shell, I received the Colwell Award of the US Society of Automotive Engineers (SAE) in 1994, for in-situ chemical measurement of piston lubrication in running engines. In the area of explosion hazards, I performed the definitive assessments of hazards arising from Rapid Phase Transformations, for Shell's Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) business.

I led the team that was awarded the Maurice Beck Prize of the 2007 World Congress in Industrial Process Tomography, for the first demonstration of high-speed chemical species tomography in a multi-cylinder automotive engine, with the so-called IMAGER system. As well as my colleagues and myself at the University of Manchester, this team included collaborators at AOS Technology Ltd., and Roush Technologies Ltd (now Revolve Ltd.).

BSc Natural Philosophy (Physics) 1st Class Honours 1976, University of Glasgow

PhD High-Energy Particle Physics 1980, University of Glasgow

CEng 2000