Vice-Chancellor, Univ. of Southampton
Professor Bill Wakeham has been Vice-Chancellor of the University of Southampton since October 2001.
A chemical engineer and graduate of Exeter University, where he studied Physics and completed his doctoral research, Professor Wakeham began his academic career at Brown University, USA. In 1971 he took up a lectureship in the Department of Chemical Engineering and Chemical Technology at Imperial College. He was promoted to Reader in 1979 and to a personal chair in 1985, becoming head of department in 1988.
In 1996 he was appointed Pro-Rector (Research) at Imperial College, combining this role with the position of Deputy Rector the following year, and Pro-Rector (Resources) in 1999. He oversaw the College's merger with a series of medical schools, and stimulated its activities in entrepreneurship.
Professor Wakeham is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institution of Chemical Engineers, the Institution of Electrical Engineers, and the Institute of Physics. He holds a higher doctorate from Exeter University, an honorary degree from Lisbon University, and is a Fellow of Imperial College London. In 1997, he was awarded the Touloukian Medal of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers. His research fields are thermophysical properties of fluids, intermolecular forces, and thermodynamics.
Professor Wakeham, who is 59, is married with two sons. His recreational interests include water-skiing and cycling, and he divides his time between Southampton during the week and the Exe Valley near Exeter at weekends.
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