Eric Albert Ash

Background

Ash, Eric Albert was born on January 31, 1928 in Berlin. Arrived in England, 1938. Son of Walter Jacob and Dorothea Cecily (Schwarz) Ash.

Education

Bachelor of Science, Imperial College, 1948. Diploma, Imperial College, 1950. Doctor of Philosophy, Imperial College, 1952.

Doctor of Science, University London, 1972. Doctorate (honorary), University Leicester, 1987. Doctorate (honorary), Institute National Polytechnic Grenoble, 1987.

Doctorate (honorary), University Aston, 1987. Doctorate (honorary), University Edinburgh, 1988. Doctorate (honorary), Polytech.

University New York, 1988. Doctorate (honorary), University Westminster, 1992. Doctorate (honorary), University Sussex, 1993.

Doctorate (honorary), University Glasgow, 1994. Doctorate (honorary), Chinese University of Hong Kong, 1994. Doctorate (honorary), University Warwich, 1997.

Doctorate (honorary), City University of Hong Kong, 1998. Doctorate (honorary), NTU Singapore, 2002.

Career

He worked on microwave tubes as a Fulbright scholar at Stanford University for two years, before returning to the United Kingdom to continue this work at the Standard Telecommunications Laboratory in London. Ash joined the Department of Electronic and Electrical Engineering at University College London (University College London) in 1963, became a full Professor in 1967 and was appointed Head of Department, and holder of the Pender Chair, in 1980. He worked on problems in physical electronics, ultrasonic signal processing and imaging.

He is also a Senior Member and Life Fellow of the Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers (an organisation based in the United States that complements the The Institution of Engineering and Technology ).

Ash became Rector of Imperial College in 1985. He sat on the board of British Telecom as a non-executive director from 1987–1993.

In 1988 he was President of the Institution of Electrical Engineers for one year. After retiring as Rector in 1993, Ash was an emeritus Professor in the Department of Physics at University College London, 1993–1998, working on educational technology.

He acted as Chief Executive Officer of the Student Loans Company 1994–1996, remaining a non-executive director of the company until the end of August 2000.

Ash was Treasurer and Vice-President of the Royal Society 1997-2002. He has also served as a trustee of a number of other organisations including the Afghan Educational Trust, the Dennis Rosen Memorial Trust, the Royal Institution, the Science Museum (London) and the Wolfson Foundation.

Achievements

• Eric Albert Ash has been listed as a noteworthy research engineering educator by Marquis Who's Who.

Politics

He emigrated with his family to Britain in 1938 to escape Nazism.

Membership

Fellow Institute of Electrical and Electronics Engineers, Institution of Electrical Engineers (president 1987-1988), Royal Society (treas and vice president 1997-1902), National Academy Engineering, Royal Academy Engineering, Institute Physics, Russian Academy of Sciences (foreign).

Interests

• Avocations: reading, skiing, cycling, music.

Connections

Married Clare Mosher Babb, May 30, 1954. Children: Gillian, Cany, Lucy, Emily, Jenny.

Father:

Walter Jacob Ash

Mother:

Dorothea Cecily (Schwarz) Ash

Spouse:

Clare Mosher Babb

child:

Gillian Ash

child:

Emily Ash

child:

Cany Ash

child:

Jenny Ash

child:

Lucy Ash