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ANNUAL REVIEWHERIOT-WATT


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HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2009

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CONTENTS

PrinciPals review 04

news 08

international 16

research 20

PeoPle 28

statistics 34

MISSIONTo create and transer nowlede, to enable students and sta to ulltheir potential and to enrich all the communities with which we enae.


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It has been an exhilarating ew

months or me since I joined

Heriot-Watt as Principal. One o

my very rst assignments was to

attend the ocial opening o the

Scottish Borders Campus by the

Princess Royal, the culmination o

many years work by colleagues

in the University and at Borders

College and a tremendously

important step in the provision

o tertiary education in the

Borders. I should emphasise

that the Campus opening is not

an end but just the rst step

in developing the articulation

which will help students to

progress seamlessly through their

education to the highest level

which their abilities and ambition

will allow.

Academic collaboration between

the College and University hasalready resulted in a new joint

Borders Business Programme and

increased recruitment to both

institutions in the current year,

with urther collaboration in

course provision planned.

The completion o the

Postgraduate Centre was another

milestone, key to our strategic

development and the planned

growth in postgraduate numbers.

I have made a point o learning

about the Schools and Services

rst hand, by visiting as many as

I can. Other visits are scheduled

or the new year. The annual

graduation schedules also meant

visits to our Dubai Campus and to

Hong Kong, Singapore and Kuala

Lumpur or meetings with our

Academic Learning Partners, and

the capping o around 500 o our

overseas students.

My impression o Heriot-Watt was

always one o a great creative

intensity which comes rom a very

practical and innovative approach

to the way things are done, and

this impression has been strongly

reinorced. This sort o hands-on,

can-do work comes rom the very

origins o the institution, with

its groundbreaking start as the

rst Mechanics Institute, giving

ordinary people access to science

and technology.

Heriot-Watt has an enviable

reputation or producing

graduates ully equipped to

achieve the highest personal

and proessional standards. This

refects very well on our teaching.

We are working hard to improve

some aspects o our teaching

provision in the light o the last

National Student Survey.

This year we recorded our

largest intake o new students in

the Universitys history with an

overall rise o 20%. This means

that, in terms o the overall

PRINCIPALS REVIEW

PRINCIPALSREVIEW

My impression o Heriot-Watt was always oneo a reat creative intensity which comes roma very practical and innovative approach to theway thins are done, and this impression hasbeen stronly reinorced.

Proessor Steve Chapman

FRSE, FRSC, CCHEM, PhD

Principal and Vice-Chancellor

Professor

steveChaP

man

frse,frsC,CChem,PhD,PrinCiPalanD

viCe-ChanCellor


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HERIOT-WATTANNUAL REVIEW2009

1.75 million or the coming

year alone, increasing the scope

or investment towards our

strategic goals. This allows us

to plan or the development

and appointment o 20 new

top level academic posts in the

coming year in addition to the

25 approved under the phase

one investment planning.

A new strategic theme, with

the working title o Creativity,

Design and Innovation, will

provide an opportunity or the

School o Textiles and Design

and the School o Management

and Languages to participate in

the Themes to a much greaterextent. It will also allow the

School o Mathematics and

Computing Sciences to introduce

the topic o the digital

economy (a recognised priority

or the research councils) and

to increase the scope o the

Innovative Manuacturing

Research Centre representing

the Universitys largest current

EPSRC-unded project.

Focus on the Future builds on

key areas o the Universitys

existing strengths. I am,

however, determined that we

will support, maintain and

develop all o Heriot-Watts

traditional strengths, academic,

personal and institutional. I am

keen to promote key areas, with

investments under discussion

potentially including the area

o ood and drink. We need to

recognise and build on all oour strengths, and to make sure

that quality, the quality o our

people, our research and our

whole product, is key to all o

our decisions and developments.

An exceptional eature o

Heriot-Watt is its international

prole, with key successes

already outlined. Our

international reach is a

tremendous asset and there

is no doubt that Heriot-Watt

is Scotlands International

University with a real global

presence.

student population, growth

includes a 10% rise to over 7,500

in Scotland and a headcount in

Dubai now at well over 1,300. In

our key growth area o taught

postgraduate students, both

UK/EU and overseas ee income

levels have increased by almost

20%. Undergraduate numbers

rom non-EU countries have also

grown. These gures exceed

this years student recruitment

and ee income targets and

are strongly competitive in

comparison with other Scottish

and UK universities. This is a

great achievement and planning

is already underway to expand

and improve teaching space tomeet demand.

In the 2009 Guardian University

League Table the University

gained an overall ranking o 22

out o 117 UK universities, doing

particularly well in the career

prospects measure. Modern

Languages at Heriot-Watt was

ranked within the top 10 in

the UK and other high ranking

subjects were Building and

Town and Country Planning (top

in Scotland), Art and Design,

Physics and Sports Science.

The University maintained

its strong position in the

employment measure in the

2009 Sunday Times University

Guide, standing ourteenth

o all UK universities and

second in Scotland, based on

the proportion o students

in employment within sixmonths o graduation and

the proportion o these in

graduate-level jobs. Indeed

Heriot-Watt continues to

eature prominently across

press league tables or graduate

employment, typically in the UK

top 20, particularly when the

quality o such employment is

taken into account

Focus on the Future is the

Universitys long term strategy,

and I am delighted to note that

we now have a second tranche

o investment unding released,

PRINCIPALS REVIEW

The Dubai Campus is now main

ver impressive proress indeed

and is set to do even better in the

comin ears. Student numbers are

up a third rom the previous ear

with the Campus havin to increase

in size b 50 per cent to maintainits hih level o resource provision.

Underraduate derees in Civil

Enineerin, Fashion Desin and

Fashion Maretin and Retailin

have been successull launched

this ear.

To cater or these developments the

Universit has expanded into new

premises and we are committed

to developin and rowin the

rane o courses in Dubai as

part o our stron international

networ. Discussions are alread

underwa with our partners Eion

International Holdin to build a

new Campus within the Dubai

International Academic Cit.

Our people are our strenth,

and our students our clients. We

have just run a sta surve, which

showed a 57% Total Satisaction

Indicator. This is positive, but not

ood enouh and is a number to

build on. Students are also ased

to ll in a rane o surves, internal

and external. We need to ensure

we tae their responses on board,

and act on themand we are.

The Universit has approved the

settin-up o an initial 1.5M

und or the improvement o

student-acin services in the

current nancial ear. The rst

approved proposal was to extend

librar openin hours, with 24

hour openin o the librar at e

times. We have also approved

the development o new learnin

spaces. Approved in principle is a

proposal to re-develop part o the

Huh Nisbet Buildin to create a

student centre or one-stop shop

to co-locate student acin services.

Its important that the Universit

surroundins refect and support

its successes and provide a ood

learnin and worin environment.

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This year werecorded our

largest intakeo new students

in the Universityshistory with an

overall rise in newstudents o 20%

2009 saw the largest intake of new students in the universitys history

Meanwhile 2009 saw the 40th

anniversar o the Edinburh

Campus, and I ot to mae m

mar b plantin a tree,

a Norweian Maple, alon with the

Students Association President,

Simon Eltrinham. Its one o an

estimated quarter o a million trees

on the Campus, but it will alwas

be that little bit special to me.

Around the Universit I have

come across hue enthusiasm and

loalt to Heriot-Watt and man

positive ideas. An institution

needs stron leadership, but it

also needs the support, sill and

sheer hard wor o ever member

o the Universit sta and o

its e staeholders. This is a

dialoue I am looin orward to,

in partnership with all o these

roups, or the Universit in the

ears ahead.

THE DUBAICAMPUS ISNOW MAkINgIMPRESSIVEPROgRESS

SCOTLANDSINTERNATIONALUNIVERSITy

LIBRARy OPEN 24HOURS


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NEWS

NEWSThe new 31.4M Scottish Borders Campusin galashiels was ofcially opened by thePrincess Royal. The Campus was created as aco-location venture between Borders Collee andHeriot-Watt University.

Princess royal oPensscottish BorderscamPusThe new 31.4M Scottish

Borders Campus in galashiels

was oiciall opened b the

Princess Roal. The Campus was

created as a co-location venture

between Borders Collee and

Heriot-Watt Universit, a unique

collaboration between urther

and hiher education to maximise

tertiar education opportunities

or the Borders.

Durin a tour beore the ocial

openin the Princess Roal visited

some o the new acilities and

worshops and met with students

and lecturers rom Heriot-Watt

and Borders Collee. Students and

lecturers rom the School o Textiles

and Desin displaed a rane

o ashion, textiles and interiordesins and she met members

o the Collee and Universit

Students Associations, as well

as a roup o Liesills students

and sta rom the Access and

Supported Learnin Department.

Durin the tour the Princess Roal

was accompanied b the Principals

o the Universit and Borders

Collee and senior manaement

iures rom both institutions,

as well as representatives o

Borders Council and o the

undin bodies which supported

the co-location proramme.

The Princess then perormed the

ocial openin ceremon, unveilin

a plaque in the main reception area.

Masters student Emma Daniels-Arthur

presented her with a speciall produced

pashmina in a new tartan which Emma

hersel created to celebrate Return

to the Ridins, a major Homecomin

Scotland 2009 event tain place in

the Scottish Borders.

Postgraduatecentre oPensHeriot-Watts 7M Postraduate

Centre, desined to provide a state o

the art acilit or postraduates across

the Universit, opened or business

in 2009, providin a multidisciplinar

ocus and networin opportunities

or the Universits 1,500 stron

communit o postraduate students

rom 100 countries.

The Centre oers hih tech video

conerencin acilities to allow

postraduate students to tae

part in multi-site lectures, tutorials

and research meetins, as well as

enhancin communication between

the Heriot-Watt campuses. The

Educational Development Unit

(EDU), involved in the proessional

development o researchers, students

and sta, is housed in the Centre

and is main ull use o the new

technoloies available.

Heriot-Watt leads the wa in

providin a central orum or

HERIOT-WATTPOSTgRADUATECENTRE

alison

harley,heaD

ofsChooloftextilesanD

Design,withthePrinCesroyal


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40th anniversary of the edinBurgh camPus

The newInternational Study

groups recruitmentnumbers have

also acceleratedrapidly and it is

liely that over 100internationalstudents willaccess Heriot-Watt degrees

in 2010

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NEWS

networin and expandin

collaborations with industr

and commercial sectors. This

approach, with an emphasis on

entrepreneurship and vision, is e

to the involvement o Cairn Ener,

who provided enerous sponsorship

or the construction o the Centre

and a Proramme Co-ordinator to

promote innovation and enterprise

activities within the student

communit.

The three-stor landmar buildin

houses the Cairn Auditorium, a

150-capacit lecture theatre, and

two additional lecture theatres.

Each seat is data equipped. Seminar

rooms, stud and social zones

provide postraduate tauht and

research students, proessional and

academic colleaues across campus

with video conerencin acilities and

wi communications. These hih

tech spaces accommodate tutorials,

researcher and sta trainin sessions,

and are ideal or worshops, master-

classes and as brea-out areas or

the lecture theatre.

40th anniversary ofthe edinBurgh camPusIts 40 ears since Heriot-Watt started

wor to move rom its cit centre sites

to a new purpose built Campus. The

anniversar is bein celebrated with a

series o events and activities throuh

the ear, startin with the plantin o

a Norweian Maple b the Principal

and the President o the Students

Association.

It was in November 1969 that the thenChancellor, Sir Alec Doulas-Home,

unveiled a plaque to commemorate

the itin o the Riccarton Estate to

the Universit b Midlothian Council,

while cross-countr runners brouht

the Universit standard rom the

cit centre throuh a snow storm to

the site. The Riccarton Estate had,

in its da, plaed an infuential part

in Scottish societ, however b the

1950s the main house had allen

into disrepair and was demolished in

1956. The rounds, with their verdant

woodlands, loch and abundant

wildlie, remained a testament to their

prosperous past.

Since then, the Campus has

fourished into a unctionin villae

and learnin and research centre,

with 8,200 sta and students.

While the buildins are modern the

careull nurtured rounds mae a

hue impact. The wealth o wildlie

and plant species was alwas

careull considered as the Universit

too shape, with the emploment

o an environmental consultant at

the construction stae and a site

conservation committee to deal with

onoin development, conservation

and manaement o site landscape.

Ater 40 ears o use as a universit

campus the rane o fora and auna

has actuall rown; records show

that over 250,000 trees have been

planted and the number o bird

species recorded increased rom

66 in 1972 to 88 in 1996.

Meanwhile, as part o the

Universits strateic ambition to

be at the oreront o research

and research-led education in the

Uk and internationall, upcomin

developments will include new

residences, at both the Edinburh

and Scottish Borders Campuses,

incorporatin more shared fats and

ewer sinle stud rooms, larer

dess and improved noise control

and ventilation. Alread the plans

have achieved the BREEAM 2 ratin

o excellence, siniin the are

bein developed to the hihest

environmental standards.

record recruitmentHeriot-Watt recorded the larest

intae o new students in its historin 2009 with an overall rise in new

students o 20%.

This means that in terms o the

overall student population, rowth

includes a 10% rise to over 7,500

in Scotland on a ull-time equivalent

basis and over 1,000 students in

Dubai, also on a ull-time equivalent

basis. The headcount in Dubai will

be over 1,300. In our e rowth

area o tauht postraduate

students, both Uk/EU and overseas,

have increased b around 20%.

Underraduate numbers rom non-

EU countries have also rown.

Amonst the notable increases

were a sinicant rise in Chinese,

Saudi Arabian and Liban students

studin at Heriot-Watt and rom

a domestic perspective a sharp

upturn in students articulatin rom

Further Education Collees. Plannin

is alread underwa to expand

teachin space to meet demand.

These ures exceed this ears

student recruitment and ee income

tarets and are stronl competitive

in comparison with other Scottish

and Uk universities. This is a reat

achievement and mars a ver

positive beinnin to the 2009/10

academic ear.

The new International Stud groups

recruitment numbers have also

accelerated rapidl and it is liel that

over 100 international students will

access Heriot-Watt derees throuh

this route in 2010.

imProving the studentexPerienceThe Universit has approved

the settin up o a und or the

improvement o student-acin

services, to be spent in the current

nancial ear. 1.5M has initiall

been set aside or the purpose. The

rst approved proposals are to extend

librar openin hours and to improve

stud space. Approved in principle

is a proposal to re-develop part o

the Huh Nisbet Buildin to create a

student centre or one-stop shop to

co-locate student acin services.

Meanwhile Heriot-Watt raned4th in Scotland and 24th in the Uk

in the Times Hiher Educations

Student Experience listins, which

covers academic and non-academic

areas. Students ave particularl

hih ratins to the Universits

connections with industr, campus

and sports acilities.

league taBlesIn this ears guardian Universit

Leaue Table, the Universit ained

an overall ranin o 22nd out

o 117 Uk universities, ranin

particularl hihl in the career

prospects measure. Modern

Lanuaes at Heriot-Watt was

raned within the top 10 in the

Uk. Other hih ranin Heriot-

Watt subjects were Buildin and

Town and Countr Plannin (top in

Scotland), Art and Desin, Phsics

and Sports Science.

Other subjects, includin Art and

Desin (Textiles), Buildin, Phsics,

Sports Science and Town and Countr

Plannin were in the Uk top 20.

The Universit maintained its stron

position in the emploment

measure in the 2009 publication

o the Sunda Times Universit

guide, ranin ourteenth o all

Uk universities and second in

Scotland. This measure is based

on the proportion o students in

emploment within six months o

raduation and the proportion o

these in raduate-level jobs. Indeed

Heriot-Watt continues to eature

prominentl across press leaue

tables or raduate emploment,

tpicall in the Uk top 20,

particularl when the qualit o such

emploment is taen into account

Heriot-Watt also rans in the top 10

or the proportion o international

students studin at the Universit.

This ear, or the rst time the

Universit also entered the rans o

the top 400 universities o the world,

which equates to the top 5%, in the

infuential THE-QS world Universit

Ranins. This was a rise rom our

position in the top 500 in 2008.

focus on the futureA second tranche o investment

undin was released or Focus on

the Future strateic developments.

The undin, o 1.75 million or

the comin ear alone, increases the

scope or investment towards the

Universits strateic oals, enablin

the development and appointment

o 20 new academic posts over a

ten ear period in addition to the

25 approved under the phase one

investment plannin.

A new strateic theme is to be

developed, Creativit, Desin

and Innovation. It will provide

an opportunit or the School o

Textiles and Desin and the School

o Manaement and Lanuaes to

participate in the Themes to a much

reater extent. It will also allow

the School o Mathematics and

Computin Sciences to introduce

the topic o the diital econom (a

reconised priorit or the research


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george davies master class

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NEWS

councils) and to increase the scope

o the Innovative Manuacturin

Research Centre (in the School o

Enineerin and Phsical Sciences

and the School o Mathematical and

Computer Sciences), representin the

Universits larest current EPSRC-

unded project. The scope o the

proposed new Theme will be dened

via externall acilitated worshops.

working withindustry ProjectA 6.5M project or a step-

wise increase in business and

entrepreneurship development has

been launched at Heriot-Watt to

support the Universits Focus on the

Future strate. 3M o the undin

is rom the European Reional

Development Fund (ERDF) to oster

enaement with industr and

enhance entrepreneurship.

This pan-Universit, three ear

project will help to boost the impact

o major prorammes in research

and development and in advanced

enineerin and ener, both areas

o considerable importance to

Scotland. Innovative manuacturin

and quantum inormation research are

major prorammes within the strate.

Co-ordinated b Technolo and

Research Services (TRS) it is an

innovative move to maximise impact,

placin new sta and activit worin

toether in Schools, Technolo

& Research Services, Corporate

Communications and Oranisational

Development. 11 new posts will provide

business development, new compansupport, entrepreneurship development

and additional communication

activities. For maximum eectiveness

the business development proessionals

are embedded in academic areas

(School o Enineerin and Phsical

Sciences, School o Built Environment,

Inrastructure and Transport Theme,

Institute o Petroleum Enineerin,

Ener Theme).

iPe sPin-outs2009 saw an increase in the spin-out

compan activit rom the Institute

o Petroleum Enineerin. Two new

companies were ormed, Petroc

Technoloies and Epistem, and

existin spin-out Hdraact is movin

to new premises on the Universits

Research Par.

Petroc Technoloies was ounded

b Dr Mehran Sohrabi to provide

technical support and commercialise

the outcome o a Scottish Enterprise

unded Proo o Concept project

in the area o carbon capture and

storae to mitiate carbon dioxide

in the atmosphere and reduce

the eects o lobal warmin.

The unique, patented technolo

developed to prevent leaae o

carbon dioxide rom underround

storae sites is critical or the success

o this carbon dioxide mitiation

strate. Lon term storae o

carbon dioxide underround

prevents its release into the

atmosphere and thereore combats

lobal warmin.

Epistem ounders Proessor Mie

Christie, Dan Arnold and Jac

Talbot will provide world-leadin

sotware or quantiin uncertaint

and reducin ris in the oil and

as industr. Uncertaint leads to

riss in business decisions costin

millions or even billions o pounds,

and so a better understandin o

the uncertainties can save industr

sinicant costs.

financial networkoPens doorsThe launch o the Financial Services

knowlede Transer Networ

(kTN) provides Heriot-Watt with acentral point or accessin undin

possibilities or collaborative research

between academia and industr.

The Financial Services kTN is a

overnment-sponsored initiative

which brins toether nancial

services oranisations, top researchers

rom the Uk science base and

innovative technolo oranisations.

B encourain, supportin and

leadin interaction between these

staeholders, the kTN will brin

toether experienced proessionals and

leadin scientists to explore current

and uture challenes, to identi

drus and use a Field Impairment

Test, asin drivers to perorm tass

such as estimatin time lapses or

standin on one le.

The Heriot-Watt team is worin to

develop their test sstem into an eas-

to-use hand held device or roadside

use. The immediate identication

o those whose drivin is impaired

throuh drus will mae a sinicant

contribution to road saet.

george daviesmaster classgeore Davies conducted a Master

Class or students at the geore

Davies Centre or Retail Excellence

on the launch o his new gIVe brand,

to coincide with the launch o the

new store in glasow in November.

gIVe b geore Davies oers a

new retail ormat. The label loos

at desiner stle with the ocus

bein on luxurious abrics and

attention to detail, and the brand

is also about movin service and

technolo to the hihest level or

the hih street customer.

The visit coincided with geores

birthda, and students and

colleaues celebrated with caes

and rereshments.

BarBara takesBiBa to the BordersThe leend behind Biba, the icon

o 1960s ashion, visited the School

o Textiles and Desin or a special

preview o the new lm Beond

Biba. Barbara Hulanici, who is now

a hihl rearded interior desiner

and desins collections or Top Shop,

met students rom across the school

and was impressed with what she

saw. The acilities are amazin,

ou can reall eel the ener in the

studios, its lie a W illie Wonas

actor or ashion, she said.

Followin the screenin o the

lm, which ocuses on her earl

challenes and how she became the

leend that she is toda, students

and sta were treated to an exclusive

in conversation with Mar Ele.

He is one hal o the Ele kishimoto

desin duo, respected throuhout

the ashion world or their sinature

prints and quir collections, and is

collaboratin on a student project.

international Prizein actuarial scienceProessor Andrew Cairns has won

a premier international research

prize in actuarial science, alon with

co-awardees Proessor David Blae,

o the Cass Business School at Cit

issues that require strateic research

undin and advise the research

undin councils, and to liaise with

technolo rms to help turn research

results into products and processes.

As one o ve universities which

are associate partners, Heriot-

Watt assists the kTN in terms o

outreach, runnin o events, and

providin eedbac rom members

to FS-Net, the independent, not-or-

prot oranisation which leads and

co-ordinates the kTN activities and

interacts directl with overnment

aencies and science undin councils.

scholar BusinessawardThe success o SCHOLAR, an online

learnin and teachin resource

or Scottish students created b

Heriot-Watt Universit, has been

reconised with a prestiious diital

business award or its wor in the

education sector.

The Herald Diital Business Awards

reconised SCHOLAR as the best in

the sector, usin diital platorms

to enhance learnin. SCHOLAR is

one o the larest online learnin

prorammes in the world with

over 100,000 reistered students,

oerin a complete portolio o web-

based interactive learnin materials

or Scottish pupils at Hiher and

Advanced Hiher.

roadside drug testResearchers at Heriot-Watt have

developed a simple rapid testwhich can identi a wide rane

o drus in saliva, a potential

roadside test solution to the

problem o dru-drivers.

The Department or Transport

estimates that one in ive drivers

or riders illed in road accidents

ma have an impairin dru,

leal or illeal, in their sstem

and the number o such accidents

increased b 28 per cent between

2005 and 2007.

Police currentl have no equivalent

to an alcohol breathalser to test or

WORkINg WITHINDUSTRy PROJECT

BARBARA TAkESBIBA TO THEBORDERS

SCHOLARBUSINESS AWARD


8/19


A wide rane oHeriot-Watt stories

eatured in thepress and media,

at home andabroad, durin theyear, continuing

to raise theUniversitys

prole amona wide rane o

audiences

14|15

NEWS

Universit, and Proessor kevin Dowd

o the Universit o Nottinham.

The David garric Halmstad Prize,

the most prestiious research award

in actuarial science worldwide, is

awarded annuall b the Actuarial

Foundation in North America or the

best paper in the actuarial literature.

Proessor Cairns and his co-authors

won the prize or Pricin Death:

Framewors or the Valuation and

Securitization o Mortalit Ris.

This is onl the third time the

Halmstad Prize has been won b

Uk academics. On the last occasion

it was also awarded to Heriot-

Watt academics, Proessors Anus

Macdonald and Howard Waters.

resnet uPgradeThe Resnet service, which provides

broadband services, phone, TV

and data to sta and students on

the Edinburh and Scottish Borders

Campuses, is bein upraded to

brin it into line with other leadin

Uk academic institutions.

Essentiall a new manaed service, it

will instantl triple the current overall

bandwidth, increase personal base

allocation, provide loin acilities

and ive students the choice o

increasin their individual access

speed at a reasonable cost.

hosPitality servicesHospitalit Services at Heriot-Watt

was launched in 2009, ollowin

restructurin o the old Caterin andResidences department.

Current projects include

redecoratin the Lord Thompson

Hall, extensive wors in Residences

1 and 2, openin and upradin

ca outlets, uprades to the public

areas o the James Watt Centre and

supportin the uprade o internet

and wireless access.

Plans or the uture include

improvement in a number o the

existin caterin outlets, urther

uprades in residences, the

introduction o on line booin

and pament or commercial

accommodation and the roll out

o cashless transactions in caterin

outlets.

fairtrade universityand downing streetvisitHeriot-Watt was one o three

universities invited to a Downin

Street tea part with Sarah Brown

to celebrate the number o Fairtrade

universities and collees passin the

100 mar.

Heriot-Watt Students Association

President Simon Eltrinham joined

representatives rom Aberstwth

Universit and Merscouh Collee

to share the honour o passin

the 100-mar with a tea part at

Downin Street, hosted b Sarah

Brown and held to celebrate the

15th anniversar o the arrival o

the rst three FAIRTRADE-certied

products in Uk shops.

The Fairtrade Universities and

Collees scheme started in 2003.

In order to become a Fairtrade

universit or collee, students and

sta must mae a commitment to

supportin Fairtrade. This includes

ensurin that Fairtrade products are

available in on-site caes, restaurants

and shops wherever possible, and

raisin awareness o Fairtrade and

the benets it brins to producers in

developin countries.

heriot-watt

in the newsA wide rane o Heriot-Watt stories

eatured in the press and media, at

home and abroad, durin the ear,

continuin to raise the Universits

prole amon a wide rane o

audiences. Stories covered included

the Bhutan project, Dr Bjarne

Holmes research into relationships,

Dr Adrian Norths wor on music

and personalit, Dr Andrew Cairns

on the impact o chanes to the

pension ae, Dr graham Turner on

British Sin lanuae, Dr Eric Maca

and his team on carbon capture and

storae and Dr Terr Lansdowns

wor on driver distraction. Coverae

o the Universit also included the

launch o Worin with Industr,

the openin o the Scottish Borders

Campus and developments at the

Dubai Campus. There were also

a number o interviews with and

articles b Principals Proessor

Muscatelli and Proessor Chapman as

well as a wide rane o Heriot-Watt

experts, speain about their own

wor and commentin on the news

stories o the da.

alBa PhotonicsA new spin out compan, Alba

Photonics, has been ormed rom the

School o Enineerin and Phsical

Sciences, ollowin completion

o a Proo o Concept project,

unded b Scottish Enterprise,

into nanostructure materials led

b Proessor Mohammad Reza

Tahizadeh.

Proessor Tahizadeh and his team

are producin micro lenses that

are fat, stacable and low-cost -

creatin competitive advantae to

customers requirin micro-optical

lenses and main them the choice

o the telecoms and laser industries.

fairtraDeUniversityDowning

streetvisit


9/19

INTER NATIONAL HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2009

Collaboration and partnership have

continued as major themes in the

Universits international strate and

activities in 2009. About one third

o students on campus in Scotland

are rom overseas and the student

numbers at the Dubai Campus have

increased substantiall to 1,300 with

new prorammes added in areas

such as Textiles and Civil Enineerin.

The Heriot-Watt Academic Learnin

Partner networ has expanded

to include a new partnership in

Banladesh and 2009 saw the 1000th

student raduate rom the Heriot-Watt

Manaement Proramme. Durin

the ear the Universit undertoo a

rane o visits to its partners and to

assess potential new opportunities in

countries such as India, Lebanon, Sria,

Jordan and Nieria.

recruitmentHeriot-Watt is nown as Scotlands

international universit and we are

proud o the rich diversit in our student

population. In 2009, the overall rise

in student recruitment at Heriot-Watt

included a sinicant increase in the

number o international students

studin with the Universit in Scotland

and abroad. Indeed, the number o

international tauht postraduate

students has risen b almost 20% andstudent numbers at the Dubai Campus

reached 1,300.

The establishment o Heriot-Watts

oce in Tianjin and the wor o Zhoni

Wan as the Universits representative

in China, have made a stron impact,

increasin the level o awareness and

demand or prorammes o stud and

research at Heriot-Watt, with a 55%

increase in tauht postraduate students

comin to the Universit rom China.

The China Oce has also supported a

rane o partnership and collaborative

activities, worin with man o the

Universits Schools and Institutes.

HERIOT-WATT UK

HERIOT-WATT UK DUBAI

Approved Learning Partnerships

16|17

weaving in Bhutan

Focused eorts b the Recruitment

and Admissions team on marets

in the Middle East and North Arica

have also been eective, leadin to a

250% rise in the number o students

rom Liba and Saudi Arabia. EU

recruitment remains stron and the

Universit welcomed around 300

new French entrants in 2009.

The International Stud Centre isbecomin well established and it

is liel that over 100 international

students will access Heriot-Watt

derees throuh this route in 2010.

duBai camPusdeveloPmentsAt the Universits Dubai Campus

the proramme portolio was urther

developed to include underraduate

derees in Automotive Enineerin,

Civil Enineerin, Fashion Desin

and Fashion Maretin and

Retailin. The successul launch o

these prorammes contributed to

the increase in student numbers,

accommodated b the development

o new acilities at Dubai

International Academic Cit. Campus

accommodation was increased b

50%, maintainin the hih level

o resource provision and acilities

or students. New developments

in student support in areas such

as careers, student representation,

student newsletters and the

development o clubs and societies

urther improved the qualit o the

student experience on Campus.

Anticipatin uture rowth and

development, Heriot-Watt Universit

and its partners in Dubai have been

in discussion about uture plans or

the Campus. With increasin student

numbers it is planned to build Heriot-

Watts own campus within the Dubai

International Academic Cit, alon

with partners Eion International

Holdin, and discussions are

underwa on this development.

Resources and unded through

the United Nations Development

Programme. Working with

local teachers in Thimpu and

Chumey in central Bhutan, the

project was ocused on the

development o standards or

the assessment o weavers skills,

curriculum development and the

establishment o learning resources.

The next stage in the project will

be the delivery o a programme o

Training o Trainers by Cardonald

College, working with sta rom

the School o Textiles and Design.

heriot-watt

in BangladeshIn August 2009 the Heriot-WattManagement Programme was

launched in Bangladesh with a

new Approved Learning Partner,

the Bangladesh Institute o

Management Studies. The School

o Management and Languages

Director o External Programmes,

Marc Quinn, represented the

University at the launch at the

British Council in Dhaka. The event

was attended by over 200 people,

including the rst cohort o 20

students who have registered or the

Bachelor o Business Administration

degree, and a number o

distinguished guests including

internationaldeveloPmentDuring 2009, Heriot-Watt

undertook a wide ranging

programme o international

business development. The

University has continued to

develop its Academic Learning

Partner Network, to extend

strategic alliances and increase

opportunities or distance learning

into new markets. It has worked

in partnership with Scottish

Development International, UK

Trade and Investment and a

number o Scottish Colleges in

international initiatives where

there is a requirement or skills

and vocational level qualications,as well as Heriot-Watts degree

programmes. A prime example o

this was a project in Bhutan which

provided an ideal opportunity

to build on the longstanding

collaboration between the

School o Textiles and Design and

Cardonald College in Glasgow.

weaving in BhutanIn July 2009 the Head o School

o Textiles and Design, Proessor

Alison Harley, led a mission to

Bhutan to carry out a project

sponsored by the Bhutanese

Ministry o Labour and Human

About one thirdo studentson campus inScotland are

rom overseasand the studentnumbers at theDubai Campushave increasedto 1,300.

OVERSEASgRADUATEAT EDINBURgHgRADUATION

HERIOT-WATTTEAM ATOPWORLDS TALLESTBUILDINg IN DUBAI


10/19

and the newly qualied surveyors

will go on to support and develop

Bahrains ambitious expansion o

its inrastructure and construction

industry.

masters scholarshiPsin africaEdinburgh Business School has been

active in Arica or 20 years, with

over 1,800 active students, and its

programmes have generated over

1,000 alumni. In 2009, the University

launched a major scholarship

scheme or students acing nancial

hardship and who demonstrate

their commitment to contribute

to society. Up to 50 ull MBAscholarships per year will be made

available or ve years, believed

to be the largest ull scholarship

scheme on oer to the continent by

any university. The rst scholars will

be chosen in early 2010.

mBa launchedin russianThe Edinburgh Business School is

a pioneer in delivering courses in

languages other than English, with

MBAs taught in Chinese, Spanish

and Arabic. October 2009 saw the

launch o an MBA programme

in Russian, in collaboration with

the Institute o Political Studies,

a leading research and teaching

institution in Kiev, Ukraine. The rst

students are expected to start their

studies in early 2010.

collaBorations in chinaHeriot-Watt was one o a number

o Scottish Universities invited to

take part in Scottish Government

Receptions in China, hosted by

the First Minister in Hong Kong,

Shanghai, and Beijing. The

Ministerial visit was designed to

support educational links and

to explore new opportunities in

the elds o renewable energy,

gol tourism, lie sciences and

computer gaming. The University

was represented at these events

by Vice-Principal Proessor Andy

Walker, along with Dr Cheng

Xiang o the School o Engineering

Proessor Nazrul Islam, Chairman o

the University Grants Commission

o Bangladesh, and Dr Wali Tasar

Uddin, Honorary Consul-General o

Bangladesh in Scotland and a Heriot-

Watt Honorary Graduate.

10 years and 1,000graduatesThe Heriot-Watt Management

Programme, which is oered

through a wide range o Academic

Learning Partners, celebrated its

1,000th graduate in 2009. Since its

launch in 1999 over 2,500 students

have enrolled on the programme

and it has proved to be a popular

and fexible option or studentswho wish to study or a Heriot-

Watt undergraduate degree in

their own country and at their own

pace. The 1,000th graduate, Doris

Osei rom Ghana, received her

Bachelor o Business Administration

(BBA) degree at the School o

Management and Languages

Graduation in June.

Bahrain funding fornew surveyorsThrough the Dubai Campus, a

number o projects have been

initiated in the Middle East region

including the award o a contract

by Tamkeen, a Bahraini unding

body, to the Bahrain Training

Institute (BTI) and Heriot-Watt to

train over 200 civil engineering

graduates. This project has been set

up to address a national skills gap

and Physical Sciences and Mr

Zhongyi Wang, the Universitys

representative in China. Guests

included representatives o Heriot-

Watts partner institutions in China

and collaborators in the Science

Bridges research project. The 1.1M

UK-China Science Bridges, unded

by Research Councils UK and led by

Heriot-Watt, is part o a 12M set

o collaborations between British

universities and institutions in

China, India and the US.

During 2009 a strategic partnership

was developed with the Chinese

Service Center or Scholarly

Exchange (CSCSE), part o the

Ministry o Education. The CSCSEplays a pivotal role in advising

students on study abroad options

and has a range o Chinese

University partners, including the

SQAs centres in China. Through this

partnership Heriot-Watt will be able

to develop urther research and

teaching collaborations with the

advice and guidance o the CSCSE.

overseas graduationsHeriot-Watt graduands around

the world have celebrated their

academic success. In 2009, the

University awarded its rst ever

honorary degree at the Dubai

Campus to Derek Shepherd, ormer

managing director o Aggreko

International. He was awarded

a Doctorate o Engineering in

recognition o his outstanding

contribution to the international

growth o the temporary power

industry in the region, and to thedevelopment o the economies o

both Scotland and the UAE.

The honorary degree was

presented during a ceremony

which celebrated the graduation o

over 130 students and marked the

rst graduates in undergraduate

engineering programmes.

Graduations were also held in

Hong Kong, Singapore, Malaysia

and Moscow. This event was

distinguished by a strong industry

presence and all the graduates

had been sponsored by industry

throughout their study.

INTER NATIONAL HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2009

18|19

dr cheng xiang wang, Professor andy walker, first ministeralex salmond and mr zhongyi wang

Dorisoseithe1,000th

managementProgrammegraDUate


11/19

HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2009REsEARch

Research awards or the same

period were 27.1M. Proessor Alan

Miller, Deputy Principal (Research &

Knowledge Transer), said he was

delighted with the gures and thatall concerned were working to build

on these successes.

A 6.5M project or a step-

wise increase in business and

entrepreneurship development has

also been launched to support the

Universitys Focus on the Future

strategy. The pan-University three

year project will help to boost the

impact o major programmes in

research and development in all

areas o the academic community.

Co-ordinated by Technology

and Research Services (TRS)

the innovative move will

maximise impact by placing

new sta in Schools, TRS,

Corporate Communications and

Organisational Development.

PreParing Physicists

and engineers of thefuturePhD-level research and education

in Physics has been underpinned

by two initiatives involving the

School o Engineering and Physical

Sciences (EPS).

Proessor Andy Harvey led the

successul bid or the Heriot-Watt

Industrial Doctorate Centre in

Optics and Photonics Technologies.

The Centre will provide state-o-

the-art doctorate-level training

with a strong industrial emphasis

or the next generation o optics

and photonics engineers. On

oer is the Engineering Doctorate

(EngD), a unded our-year

PhD-level doctorate degree with

an emphasis on research and

development in a commercialenvironment. The consortium

o Heriot-Watt, Strathclyde, St

Andrews and Glasgow universities

gained Engineering and Physical

Sciences Research Council (EPSRC)

unding o 4.5M. The participating

universities will provide additional

investment o 500,000.

EPS Physics is also involved in a

9.4M tri-institutional doctoral

training centre which was ocially

opened in St Andrews in October.

The Scottish Doctoral Training

Centre in Condensed Matter

Physics (CM-DTC) is a collaboration

between Heriot-Watt, St Andrews

and Edinburgh universities. Up

to 60 lite graduate students will

join the our-year CM-DTC PhD

programme over the next ve

years. The rst ten graduates

began their training in September.

The Heriot-Watt involvement is led

by Proessor Ian Galbraith.

ai interactionlaB oPensA new group o post-doctoral

researchers in the School o

Mathematical and Computing

Sciences is investigating some o

the central problems in computer

science and articial intelligence by

developing intelligent interactive

systems which can collaborate

eectively and adaptively with

humans, using a variety o methods

such as speech, graphics, touch,

vision and natural language.

Research spend at Heriot-Wattincreased by almost 30% rom 15.4Mto 19.9M durin the last fnancial year, anexceptional level o rowth, refecting thequality o Heriot-Watt research.

20 | 21

RESEARCH


12/19


mathematic modelling the first line of defence from infection

Uk CHINASCIENCE BRIDgE

NURTURINgPROFESSIONALCAPACITy INSIgN LANgUAgEINTERPRETINg

RESEARCH

The 1.1M Uk-China Science

Brides, unded byResearch Councils

Uk, is part oa 12M set ocollaborations

between Britishuniversities and

institutions inChina, Indiaand the US

22|23

Led b Dr Oliver Lemon, the

Interaction Lab is unded b rants

worth over 1 million rom the

EPSRC, European Commission

and ESRC/EPSRC TEL. Dr Lemons

appointment was made under the

15M Scottish Inormatics and

Computer Science Alliance (SICSA),

which is unded b the Scottish

government and aims to consolidate

and develop Scotlands position as

an international research leader in

inormatics and computer science.

British sign languageScotland has a sinicant position

in the academic histor o Sin

Lanuae Studies in the Uk, with

Heriot-Watt Universit at the

oreront in this eld. This ear has

mared the consolidation o closer

academic ties across institutions

and the eneration o co-operative

ventures with a number o

international scholars.

Heriot-Watts British Sin Lanuae

(BSL) roup is educatin advanced

sin lanuae teachers and their

trainers, nurturin proessional

capacit in sin lanuae interpretin,

explorin reional and social variation

in BSL use and innovatin in the

use o diital techniques and new

experimental techniques or the

analsis o sined and interpreter-

mediated interaction. A Scottish

Fundin Council SPIRIT project has

supported a web-based approach to

dissemination and enaement which

has alread attracted attention rom

authorities in the European Union

looin to carr orward the sinlanuae plannin aenda.

3.5m carBonstorage ProjectResearchers at Heriot-Watt

have a e role in an ambitious

project which could see the Uk

become the rst countr with

a comprehensive assessment o

national CO2

storae capacit.

The 3.5M project launched

b the Ener Technoloies

Institute will carr out a review o

potential oshore sites suitable or

storin CO2. This will enable the

government, CO2

emitters, storae

operators and inrastructure and

technolo developers to mae more

inormed choices on the realistic

extent and roll-out o carbon capture

and storae in the Uk.

Heriot-Watt scientists will have a

e role in calculatin the total

dnamic CO2

storae capacit o

the saline ormations in Uk waters,

benetin rom the Institute o

Petroleum Enineerins expertise

in simulation o fuid fow in

porous media and the impact o

eochemical and eomechanical

eects on fuid miration and

interactions with the roc.

science BridgesHeriot-Watt is leadin a Science Brides

Award, linin Uk universities and

Chinese universities and institutions.

The project will wor on new

developments in hih-speed, secure

wireless multimedia connections.

The 1.1M Uk-China Science

Brides, unded b Research

Councils Uk, is part o a 12M set

o collaborations between British

universities and institutions in China,

India and the US.

The aim o this project is to create,

a Uk-China Joint Research and

Development Centre or ourth

eneration (4g) Wireless Mobile

Communications, supportin

collaborative research, mutual

visits, exchane o researchers,

and rapid technolo transer andcommercialisation.

cycles to chaos due toclimate changeClimate chane is liel to have

a much more dramatic eect on

some animal populations than

had been expected, accordin

to research b a consortium led

b Heriot-Watt. Man animal

population numbers fuctuate

accordin to ccles, but the eects

o climate chane on these ccles,

combined with invaders movin

into new areas as conditions

threshold that trees can tolerate,

maladaptation and extinctions

may occur. Model rameworks

can be used to assess intervention

strategies (such as planting uture

adapted seeds) that can help

prevent extinction o native tree

populations.

Proof of concePtfunding for sensortechnologiesProo o Concept unding will

allow Heriot-Watts Directly

Inscribed Optical Sensing (DIOS)

project to target bre sensing

applications ranging rom

aerospace and buildings to bio-sensing and chemicals, where

the sensors provide critical data

on stress/strain or on a chemical

ngerprint.

The project will develop a range

o unique optical interrogators

using their patent pending

laser processing techniques. The

technology will be progressed

towards either licensing

opportunities with existing

optoelectronics companies or look

to orm a spinout company, selling

novel sensors to a global bre

sensing market estimated in excess

o $15 Billion by 2015.

virtual faBric swatchesA project using interactive multi-

modal digital media to allow

designers to share the look and

eel o the abrics with which they

are working is being undertaken

by Proessor Mike Chantler along

with colleagues in the Texture Lab

at the Scottish Borders Campus.

The appeal o wallcoverings,

abrics and textiles lies not only

in their colour pattern but also in

the visual eect o the underlying

texture, which can dramatically

change their overall appearance

when viewed rom dierent angles

or under varied lighting. Most

designers, when planning designschemes, have to work on 2D

drawings. They can only accurately

evaluate a new combination o

colour, pattern and texture by

abricating a sample swatch.

The t3D sotware suite rom

Totallytextures allows ordinary

scanners and digital cameras to

be used as 3D surace scanners

to scan a collection o textures

to create a digital library o 3D

suraces which can be accessed to

create photorealistic renderings o

textured suraces to be distributed

via email or presented in on-line

catalogues.

chane can transorm the ccles

into chaos, accordin to new

methods or studin mathematical

models devised b the roup,

which includes Microsot Research

in Cambride and a Dutch National

Research Institute.

Their hihl novel methodolo

builds on theor developed in elds

as disparate as theoretical phsics

and computational ecolo, and

draws on recent developments in

stabilit theor and computation.

Team leader Proessor Jonathan

Sherratt sas that the new

methodolo allows them to extract

and wor with inormation rom

mathematical models which was

not previousl possible, and could

be applied to elds as diverse as

chemical reactions, fuid fow, and

the spread o epidemics.

investing in infectionMathematical modelling will also

be used to examine the ways in

which host animals evolved a

wide variety o ways o deending

themselves rom inection.

Most organisms are inected by a

wide variety o inectious agents

(e.g. bacteria, virus and ungi) and

have had to evolve a wide variety

o ways o deending themselves.

The study will provide key insight

or the management o disease in

natural and agricultural systems.

Mathematical modelling will

also be used to examine climate

change induced alterations in the

distribution o tree species. Trees

are long lived and thereore slow

to adapt to change. I the rate o

environmental change exceeds a


13/19

masts Project

The MarineAlliance or Scienceand Technoloy orScotland (MASTS)

will receive theundin over seven

years as part o atotal investment

o 74.7M

HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2008RESEARCH

24|25

Interactive roomsets can also

be produced to allow the user

to try out dierent colour and

texture combinations on the walls

o a room, and the technology

has real potential to transorm

marketing webpages into

eective direct sales tools.

green logisticsLow carbon shipping will be

investigated under an EPSRC

unded project being undertaken

by Proessor Alan McKinnon and

his team in the Logistics Research

Centre. The 250,000 project

expands the Centres portolio

o Green Logistics research beingundertaken by this internationally

respected grouping.

james wattmanufacturinginstituteThe James Watt Institute or

High Value Manuacturing was

ormally launched in April.

Proessor Denis Hall, Director

o the James Watt Institute,

believes that the development

is extremely relevant to the

economic needs o Scotland and

the UK. Heriot-Watt is involved

in a signicant expansion o

manuacturing-related research

activity, building on the successes

o the Innovative Manuacturing

Research Centre (IMRC), unded

jointly by the EPSRC and

industrial partners. A signicant

number o new relevant

academic sta with excitingscience-based research agenda

have been recruited, enhancing

the capacity to contribute to

the development o novel

technologies underpinning

new manuacturing processes

and products. The plan is to

embed the current IMRC within

a new and larger organisational

structure.

m-theory researchA ve year research programme

into M-theory, a possible contender

or the long-sought world

ormula which would potentially

provide a unied description o

all the natural phenomena in our

universe, is being undertaken by

a Mathematical Physics Group

Hosted by Proessor Richard Szabo.

The 0.5M project, unded by

EPSRC, asks crucial questions

about M-theory, where the

basic building blocks are 2- and

5-dimensional objects called

M2- and M5-branes. One o the

great current mysteries is how

to describe the dynamics o

the M2-branes, even i gravity

was turned o. It is necessary

to explore possible extensions

and modications o a recentcandidate theory which turned

out not to be general enough.

Mostly, mathematical aesthetics

will be used as a guideline or

constructing these extensions by

identiying broader mathematical

rameworks into which the

original theory can be tted,

with constructions checked

against physical requirements.

creating green wavesTechnology designed to analyse

large numbers o novel marine

microbes could lead to more

ecient and greener ways to

manuacture new drugs or

conditions such as epilepsy,

diabetes, fu and other viruses,

as well as improving the

manuacture o other products

such as agrochemicals.

Research in the School o

Engineering and Physical

Sciences is contributing to a

project, unded by the EPSRC,

which is directed at developing

potentially useul enzymes in

microbes that are ound in

the sea.

The approach is to look or

microbes which can promote

the chemical reactions required

or use in manuacturing.

They are then treated under

conditions where they produce

the key enzymes in higher yield,

which are puriied and undero

sstematic testin to evaluate their

activit. Microbes are now bein

identiied with a tpe o enzme

which could be e to a cheaper,

more eicient and sustainable

process in the snthesis o

valuable chemicals b both the

pharmaceutical and arochemical

industries.

mastsThe Scottish Fundin Council (SFC)

has announced a 17.4M investment

in a new marine science research

pool which will brin toether

researchers rom several universities

and research institutes includin

Heriot-Watt.

The Marine Alliance or Science and

Technolo or Scotland (MASTS)

will receive the undin over seven

ears as part o a total investment

o 74.7M. Ten partners, includin

Heriot-Watt and seven other Scottish

universities, are to orm the pool

which will carr out world-class

research, trainin and nowlede

exchane.

Amon its e areas o research

MASTS will pool existin strenths to

loo at areas includin biodiversit,

marine predators, sustainable

mariculture and sheries.

The ormation o MASTS will create

eiht new proessorships and

13 lectureships/readerships. A

raduate academ will be at the core

o MASTS, oerin PhD studentships

and advanced postraduate traininin marine sciences to attract and retain

oun scientists o true excellence.

listen with motherand fatherFollowin research on the lins

between music and personalit,

Proessor Adrian North and his team

undertoo a surve commissioned

b the mobile phone compan

Noia into the musical tastes o

nearl 4,000 twins. This revealed

that enetic infuences on the music

people lie varies with enre. Dr

North said that while previous studies

have shown that perect pitch abilit

appears to be partl inherent, with

as much as 50% o our musical

taste bein predetermined it appears

there is a stron arument or the

existence o music enes.

random maPs with aclear route in mindA Polish specialist has joined applied

probabilit researchers at Heriot-

Watt or a ear-lon interdisciplinar

collaboration, led b Dr Jennie Hansen.

The collaboration with Proessor

Jerz Jaworsi, rom the Adam

Miciewicz Universit in Poland, lins

Heriot-Watt with one o the worlds

top centres or random raph theor

and discrete mathematics. The

project, at the interace o probabilit

theor, raph theor, and computer

science, ocuses on understandin

the component structure o random

raph models or stochastic raph

structures which arise in areas as

diverse as epidemiolo, computer

science, and crptolo.

The applications o this wor

to the securit and unction o

communication networs and

to the control and prediction o

epidemic processes are strateic or

Europe, and the 110,000 undin

was provided under the European

Commissions Framewor 7 Research

Proramme.

Picture PerfectResearchers in the School o

Enineerin and Phsical Sciences

(EPS) are developin a sstem

which will boost sonar detection or

submarines which could observe

the ocean foor with 10 times better

resolution and detect underwater

mines with improved accurac. The

Uks Deence Science and Technolo

Laborator is supportin the wor

to improve sonar taret detection in

cluttered underwater environments.

The EPS team will develop alorithms

and 3D imae processin techniques

or intererometric snthetic aperture

sonar (SAS). These sonar combine a

number o acoustic pins to orm

imaes at vastl hiher resolution

than conventional sonar. To date SAS

sstems are used almost exclusivel

or research purposes and have et

to be deploed in militar platorms.

The EPS researchers will combine

the SAS with more conventional

side-scan sonar to determine i their

joint deploment can improve the

detection and classication o tarets

under water.


14/19


VIRTUAL BATTLEAgAINST REAL

BULLyINg

RESEARCH

26|27

stalking checklistVictims o stalking now have more

support, thanks to work by Dr

Lorraine Sheridan, Senior Research

Fellow in Psychology.

She contributed a stalking risk

checklist as an assessment tool or

use in suspected cases o domestic

abuse, stalking, and honour

killings. It has just been rolled out

to every police station in England

and Wales.

In the past the police have ailed

some stalking victims because

many o the behaviours engaged in

by stalkers can seem to be routine

and harmless. However, stalkersrequently do build up to violent

acts and some sexually assault or

even murder their victims.

Dr Sheridan has been researching

the psychology o stalking since

1996 and has identied some

indicators o risk in stalking

cases. The aim o the stalking risk

checklist is not to assess risk per

se but to help ensure that non-

specialist police ocers are asking

the right questions o victims and

are collecting the correct evidence

in an attempt to prevent serious

violence.

synthetic BiologyA microengineering team

at Heriot-Watt has been

commissioned by ITI Lie Sciences

to support international research

and development programmes

in synthetic biology. This couldimprove production methods

in markets such as biouels and

energy, environmentally riendly

chemicals, drug development and

new material abrication. Synthetic

biology represents one o the

astest growing segments o the

lie sciences market, which could

be worth over $1.5 billion by 2013.

ITI Lie Sciences, a division o

ITI Scotland Ltd, has committed

2.5M to develop technology to

enable the ecient assembly o

small DNA segments into larger

and more complex ragments.

Current methods or DNA assembly

are inecient and the prototype

resulting rom the 18-month

Genome Segment Assembly

programme will enable the high-

throughput assembly o DNA

segments in an automated and

reliable way.

electricity from carexhausts?Chemists at Heriot-Watt are

investigating the potential use o

waste heat rom car exhausts as an

energy source. Around a third o

the heat that goes into powering

a typical car engine comes out as

waste through the exhaust, withmore lost through the engine

cooling system. Proessor Anthony

Powell and Dr Paz Vaqueiro are

investigating the possibility o

using this as an attractive and

environmentally clean way to

generate electrical power.

Recovery o only 10% o this

otherwise wasted heat would

result in a reduction by 12 million

tonnes in carbon dioxide emissions

in the UK alone. The team is

researching new thermoelectric

materials with the highly unusual

combination o the ability to

conduct electricity like a metal and

to conduct heat like an insulator.

Thermoelectric materials could

be used or cooling as well as or

generating power, and would be

environmentally riendly since

they completely eliminate the

need or harmul coolants inrerigeration.

virtual Battle againstreal BullyingThe battle against bullying in

schools across Europe is being

helped by computer scientist

Proessor Ruth Aylett, an expert

in virtual reality and articial

intelligence. She has been leading

a nine-partner project, spanning

the UK, Germany, Portugal and

Italy, which created 3-D animated

characters or whom pupils would

eel empathy.

Primary school pupils used the

Fear Not! desktop programme

on their own. The character,

who was being bullied, sought

the pupils help and advice, with

the next episode infuenced by

what the pupil decided. AnotherEU-unded project has aimed

to improve childrens empathy

towards other cultures through

virtual role play.

heads or tailsA computer network which

undertakes the virtual equivalent

o a game o heads and tails

could solve the problems which

arise when multiple computers

are working together.

Proessor Takis Konstantopoulos,

o the department o Actuarial

Mathematics and Statistics,

is an expert in stochastic, or

random, processes in probability

theory which includes modelling

communications networks such as

the Internet. He is working on the

Ethernet, computer networking

technologies or local area

networks, which involve manycomputers hooked to the same

channel. Two computers cannot

transmit packets at the same

time, and the traditional answer

has been to dictate a cyclic order.

But the team has ound the

best way to increase speed is

to have each computer toss

a coin, a system that works

because o probability. They are

currently investigating BitTorrent,

which accounts or around 40 per

cent o Internet trac and is used

to download very large les such

as lms.

eleCtriCityfromexhaUsts


15/19


Professor Pauljowitt electedPresident of iceProessor Paul Jowitt has

taken over as President o he

Institution o Civil Engineers

(ICE). Proessor Jowitt has

been heavily involved with

ICE throughout his career, was

previously Senior Vice-President

and has chaired a number

o panels and policy groups,

including the ICE Presidential

Commission, Engineering

without Frontiers.

new head ofthe instituteof PetroleumengineeringProessor Simon Stewart has

been appointed the new Head

o the Institute o Petroleum

Engineering.

Proessor Stewart graduated

in Geology rom Dundee in

1989 and obtained his PhD in

Structural Geology rom Imperial

College in 1992. He worked

or eight years with Amerada

beore joining BP in 2000,

working in Baku, Azerbaijan,

as Senior Geophysicist and

most recently as New Well

Delivery Team Leader. He has

experience in 4D seismic data

interpretation, geomechanics,

well planning and exploration

and is an Honorary Proessor at

Durham University.

new PeoPle andorganisationaldeveloPment directorShirley Campbell has joined

Heriot-Watt University in the

newly developed role o Director

o People and Organisational

Development. Her remit includes

prioritising the Universitys Focus

on the Future strategy rom an

HR and Development perspective.

further develoPmentsThe Educational Development Unit

(EDU), led by Proessor Rob Pooley,

has transerred to the People

and Organisational Development

(POD) team and been re-named

the Academic Enhancement Team.

They retain responsibility or

the Postgraduate Certicate in

Academic Practice plus an expanded

role in support o the Academic

Enhancement Framework Project.

The Organisational Development

Team led by Julie Dickson, also

part o the POD team, will take

up responsibility or Researcher

Development.

The two development teams

will work closely together to

provide an integrated mix

o development activities

and proessional career

development or everyone

across the University all located

within the Postgraduate Centre,

and with an expanding role in

the Dubai Campus.

PEOPLE

People are the ey to the success o anyinstitution. Around Heriot-Watt I have oundthat sta and students are hugelyinnovative, inventive, enthusiastic andloyal. This is a tremendous resource and onewhich we will build on. Professor Steve Chapman, Principal

28|29

PEOPLE

Professorsimon

stewart,heaD

oftheinstitUteofPetroleUmengineering

PROFESSOR

PAUL JOWITT


16/19


maria zedda, ready to start entrePreneur awards Professor geoff Palmer (seePage32)

PEOPLE

03 11

04

02

01

05

06

07

08

12

10

09

13

14

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30 | 31

joint winners for thelearning and teachingawardTwo groups were jointly awarded

the Heriot-Watt Learning and

Teaching Award 2009 with a

Certicate o Achievement and aprize o 500.

Jayne Smith, Theresa Wilkinson

and Hazel Sharp rom the School

o Textiles and Design received the

Award or their collaboration in

the development o learning aids

or blended learning to assist in the

integration o previously separate

subject materials. The Award

also went to Dr Sandy Louchart

and Dr Judy Robertson rom

the School o Mathematical and

Computer Sciences or their work to

increase student engagement and

scholarship skills and to enhance

the rst year experience within

Computer Sciences.

Plaid PerformancesThere was a tartan theme to

awards won by Textile and

Design students.

Maxine MacIver and Katherine

Butler took top honours in

Bringing Home the Tartan, a

competition to create a design

on the theme o Homecoming

2009, inspired by tartans in the

new Scottish Register o Tartans.

Meanwhile Teri Scott won a

competition to design the rst

ocial Scottish Parliament tartan

to mark the 10th anniversary o

devolution.

entrePreneur awardMaria Zedda, a dea

entrepreneur and Heriot-Watt

graduate, was the overall

winner in the Ready to Start

Entrepreneur Awards.

Maria, Managing Director

o Wideaware Training,

graduated rom Heriot-Watts

Post-Graduate Certicate in

Environmental Access and

Design, designed to give disabled

people the opportunity to

capitalise on their knowledge

o environmental barriers to

become access auditors.

honorary graduates:01 Mary Portas, Creative Director

o Yellow Door, was awarded

a Doctorate o Letters in

recognition o her distinguished

career and her outstanding and

creative contribution to the

advancement o marketing and

brand communications within the

retail sector.

02 His Excellency Proessor Anbal

Cavaco Silva, President o the

Republic o Portugal, was awarded

a Doctorate o Letters in recognition

o his distinction in the discipline o

Economics and in public service in

the Republic o Portugal.

03 Mr Steve King, Musician

and Musician-in-Residence

at Heriot-Watt University,

received a Doctorate o Letters

in recognition o his distinction

in the eld o music and his

outstanding contribution,

through music, to the cultural

and educational lie o Heriot-

Watt University and the wider

Scottish community.

04 Mr Ian Marchant, Chie

Executive o Scottish and

Southern Energy, was awarded


recognition o his distinguished

career and outstanding

contribution to sustainable

development o the Scottish

energy industry.

05 Mr Robert Graham, Chairman

o Grahams Dairy, received a

Doctorate o the University inrecognition o his outstanding

contribution to Scotlands dairy

industry and or his demonstrated

leadership in the context o small

and amily owned businesses.

06 Mr Gavin Gemmell, ex-Chair

o Heriot-Watt University Court

and Chair o Archangel Inormal

Investments Ltd., was awarded

a Doctorate o the University in

recognition o his contribution

to the governance and progress

o Heriot-Watt University and

o his outstanding career and

leadership in the nancial sector.

07 Ms Carol Ann Duy, Poet

Laureate, was awarded

a Doctorate o Letters in

recognition o her artistic

achievements as poet,

playwright and promoter o

creative writing.

08 Dr Ben Goldacre, writer,

broadcaster and medical doctor,

received a Doctorate o Science

in recognition o his outstanding

contribution to scientic

journalism and in the promotion

o public engagement with

and greater understanding o

science.

09

Mr Paul Walsh, CEO oDiageo and Chairman o the

Scotch Whisky Association,

was awarded a Doctorate

o Letters in recognition o

his distinguished career and,

through his leadership, an

outstanding contribution to

sustained development and

economic success within the

global drinks industry.

10 Mr Alan Shaw, Chartered

Engineer, received a Doctorate

o Engineering in recognition

o his services to the energy

generation industry and o

his many years o support

and advocacy o Heriot-Watt

University.

11 Peter Ingram-Monk, specialist

and campaigner on the needs o

disabled people in accessing the

built environment, was awarded

a Doctorate o Engineering inrecognition o his outstanding

contribution to disability

equality and access and to the

development o proessional

training in support o these aims.

12 Ian Wall, ormer chie

Executive Ocer o the EDI

group, was awarded a Doctorate

o Science in recognition o his

outstanding entrepreneurial

contribution to the development

o social, cultural, educational

and commercial opportunities

to the benet o the people o

Edinburgh and o Scotland.

13 Michel Contie, Senior VP,

Total, Northern Europe, received


recognition o his distinguished

career and leadership in the oil

industry and or his support and

promotion o university research

in this eld.

14 Stean Kay OBE, was awarded

a Doctorate o the University

in recognition o his signicant

contribution to the Heriot-

Watt University community

over many years in governance,

management and change

leadership roles, and o his

outstanding career in the paper

industry.

15 Heriot-Watt University

awarded an honorary degree

or the rst time at its Dubai

graduation. The honorary Doctor

o Engineering degree was

awarded to Derek Shepherd,

ormer managing director

o Aggreko International, in

recognition o his outstanding

contribution to the international

growth o the temporary power

industry in the region, and to the

development o the economies

o both Scotland and the United

Arab Emirates.


17/19


Fernando Cardenas-Lizana was

also awarded the MacFarlane

Prize, but deerred his graduation

until 2010.

PhD stuDent awarDeD

J.M. LesseLs schoLarshiP

froM the royaL society

of eDinburgh

Mr. Yian Liu, a frst year

Mechanical Engineering PhD

student, has been awarded the

Royal Society o Edinburghs J.M.

Lessels Scholarship.

Arising rom a bequest rom

the late Proessor John Moyes

Lessells, an eminent mechanical

engineer who emigrated to

America in 1920, the Scholarships

are or Honours Graduates in

all orms o Engineering rom

Scottish Universities, and support

some aspect o their proession

outwith the UK. Yian will be

traveling to Duke University in

North Carolina to work on a

collaborative research project.

seLeX innovation

awarD

The Directors o SELEX Galileo

have awarded a Bronze Innovation

Award 2009 to Dr Jason Hong,

Reader in the department

o Electrical, Electronic and

Computer Engineering, School o

Engineering and Physical Science.

coMPuter society

awarDDr Judy Robertson has been

selected to receive the IEEE

(Institute o Electrical and

Electronics Engineers) Computer

Societys 2009 Computer

Science and Engineering

Undergraduate Teaching Award

or Outstanding contributions

to undergraduate education

through teaching and innovative

use o pioneering technologies

in teaching.

chevron schoLars

Eleven students studying

Mechanical, Chemical and

Petroleum Engineering are the

frst group o Chevron Scholars

under the Chevron University

Partnership Programme.

Heriot-Watt is one o only 20

universities around the world to

be involved in the scheme which

has provided 150,000 in 2009

or scholarships and support to

the selected students, including

support and assistance or specifc

degree courses and research.

The Scholars will also have the

opportunity to apply or work

experience and internships, with

Chevron looking to employ top-

class graduates on completion

o their university studies. The

programme builds on Chevrons

30-plus year relationship with

Heriot-Watt, and identifes

mutually benefcial partnership

opportunities through Chevron

Upstream Europe.

Professor PaLMer

awarDeD honorary

Doctorates

Emeritus Proessor Geo Palmer

has been awarded an Honorary

Doctorate in Science by the

University o Abertay. He will

also be awarded an Honorary

Doctorate in Arts and Science by

the Open University in 2010.

MacfarLane Prize

awarDeD to DrchahaM aL-aLouch

Dr Chaham Al-Alouch, School o

the Built Environment, has been

awarded the MacFarlane Prize.

He graduated with the Degree

o Doctor o Philosophy in June

2009, and is an architect.

Dr Al-Alouchs thesis described an

unusually challenging programme

o research that combined

environmental psychology with

architecture, ocusing on the

attitudes o patients to privacy

within hospital wards.

Heriot-Watt isone of only 20universities

around the worldto be involved in

the scheme whichhas provided

150,000 in 2009for scholarships

and support to theselected students

32|33

PEOPLE

shirley

campbelldirector

ofpeopleand

organisationaldevelopment

PHD stuDent

aWarDeD J.M.

LesseLs scHoLarsHiP

PrinciPaL cHaPMan

WitH cHevron

rePresentatives

GreGor coLviLLe anD

MD rick coHaGan

MacFarLane Prize

aWarDeD


18/19

income and exPenditure 2008/9

income m %

Funding body grants 42.6m 31.7%

Tuition ees and education contracts 48.1m 35.7%

Research grants and contracts 19.9m 14.8%

Other income 22.7m 16.9%

Endowment and investment income 1.2m 0.9%

t 134.5 100.0%

exPenditure m %

Sta costs 73.4m 54.8%

Other operating costs 51.2m 38.2%

Depreciation 7.5m 5.6%

Interest and other nance costs 1.8m 1.4%t 133.9 100.0%

Postgraduate Postgraduate undergraduate camPus total

schools research taught

Engineering and Physical Sciences 216 408 1,573 2,377

Mathematical and Computer Sciences 61 249 844 1154

Built Environment 71 608 845 1,524

Lie Sciences 38 79 684 801Management and Languages 32 434 1,901 2,367

Textiles and Design 16 22 548 586

t 434 1,800 6,395 7,809

Postgraduate institutes

Institute o Petroleum Engineering 59 240 299

Edinburgh Business School 61 61

t 493 2,101 6,395 8,169

The University also has more than 9,000 students studying on international programmes.

In addition there are ~150 exchange and visiting students.

Scotland Other UKOther EU Overseas

France

China/HongKong

Greece

Kingdomo

fSaudi

Arabia

India

IrishRepublic

Germany

Nigeria

M

alaysia

LibyanArabRepublic

20

15

10

5

0

15

1110

06 06 0605

0403 03

52%

14%

16%

18%

%

HERIOT-WATT ANNUAL REVIEW 2009STATISTICS

Editor:c dpProduction:cp cDesign:...

Photography:d mB, a mc l w

camPus students (scotland) 2009/10

international students 2009/10

toP ten By PoPulation size: on-camPus, scotland

camPus students 2009/10 (scotland and duBai)

34 | 35


19/19

www.hw.ac.uk

Contact usHeriot-Watt University

Edinburgh Campus

Edinburgh EH14 4AS

0131 449 5111

Scottish Borders CampusGalashiels TD1 3HF

01896 753351

Orkney Campus

Old Academy, Back Road, Stromness,

Orkney Islands, Scotland

KW16 3AW

01856 850 605

Dubai Campus

Dubai International Academic City

PO Box 294345

Dubai

U.A.E

00 971 4361 6999

Corporate CommUniCations

0131 451 3242

[email protected]

stUdent reCrUitment and admissions

0131 451 3451

[email protected]