Metrology expert elected to Royal Academy of Engineering

4 December 2017

Professor Geoff McFarland, Group Engineering Director at global engineering technologies company, Renishaw, has been elected as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. McFarland has been elected alongside 50 of the nation's best engineering researchers, innovators, entrepreneurs and business and industry leaders. He joins colleagues Sir David McMurtry, Renishaw's Chairman and Chief Executive, and Sir David Grant, Senior Independent Director as fellows of the Academy.

Professor McFarland is a specialist in dimensional metrology and its applications in manufacturing and medicine. He is named as an inventor on more than 50 patents and has led the development of multiple innovative measurement products for the aerospace and automotive sectors while at Renishaw.

McFarland studied computer-aided mechanical engineering at Heriot-Watt University, before working for several years as a research associate in the medical device and electronic manufacturing sectors. He joined Renishaw's Edinburgh research facility in 1994, then moved to the company's headquarters to become Director and General Manager of the co-ordinate measuring machine (CMM) product line in 1999.

In July 2002, McFarland was appointed to Renishaw's Board of Directors, where he is responsible for group engineering, group intellectual property and the additive manufacturing products line. McFarland has maintained a strong involvement with academia and is actively linked with multiple universities and the Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council. He is a visiting professor at the University of Bath and an honorary professor at Heriot-Watt University.

“It is an honour to be elected as a fellow alongside some of the finest minds in the industry,” explained McFarland. “To solve the challenges that will face the economy, environment and medical sector, multidisciplinary engineering teams must come together to develop innovative products and manufacturing solutions, a process I have been fortunate to be a part of during my time at Renishaw.”

“I'm so proud to welcome our new Fellows, who represent the very best of UK engineering,” explained Professor Dame Ann Dowling OM DBE FREng FRS, President of the Royal Academy of Engineering. “Our new Fellows demonstrate how engineering is tackling some of the biggest challenges facing the world. I look forward to working with them as we continue to make the UK a leading nation for engineering innovation and businesses.”

Each year, 50 new Fellows of the Royal Academy of Engineering are elected, adding their expertise to the Fellowship, which includes world-leading engineers from industry and academia. HRH The Duke of Edinburgh, Prince Philip, is the Senior Fellow, whilst HRH The Princess Royal and HRH the Duke of Kent are Royal Fellows.

Once selected, fellows are given the title Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering and the postnominal FREng.

For more information on Renishaw, visit www.renishaw.com.

For further images, videos, company biographies or information on Renishaw and its products, visit our Media Hub.