Having worked in many different areas of industry, government and academia, Prof Watson is well placed to champion the benefits of different bodies working together more closely.
During his President’s address, he said: “In a world where technology is moving faster than ever before, I believe we need to think more broadly and remove unnecessary barriers that might be discouraging more young people from becoming engineers. In other words, we need to be more inclusive about inspiring and recruiting the next generation of engineers.”
He also said he will be launching an appeal to help give additional financial support to talented people who wouldn’t otherwise be able to pursue an engineering career.
Jeremy Watson is Professor of Engineering Systems and vice-dean in the Faculty of Engineering Sciences at University College London. He is also chief scientist and engineer at BRE and director of the £9.8m PETRAS research hub funded by EPSRC, which brings together nine universities to collaborate on research into Cybersecurity of the Internet of Things.
Previously, Prof Watson was chief scientific advisor for the Department of Communities & Local Government and Arup's global research director. He succeeds Naomi Climer, the first female president of the IET.
