Kevin Warwick
Kevin Warwick (born 9 February 1954) is an English engineer and Deputy Vice-Chancellor (Research) at Coventry University.[8] He is known for his studies on direct interfaces between computer systems and the human nervous system, and has also done research concerning robotics.[9][10]
Kevin Warwick
- Aston University (BSc)
- Imperial College London (PhD)
Project Cyborg
- FIET[1]
- Royal Institution Christmas Lectures (2000)
- Mountbatten Medal (2008)
- Ellison-Cliffe Medal (2011)
Biography[edit]
Kevin Warwick was born in 1954 in Keresley, Coventry, England,[11] and was raised in the nearby village of Ryton-on-Dunsmore, Warwickshire. His family attended a Methodist church but soon he began doubting the existence of God.[12] He attended Lawrence Sheriff School in Rugby, Warwickshire, where he was a contemporary of actor Arthur Bostrom. He left school at the age of 16 to start an apprenticeship with British Telecom. In 1976, he was granted his first degree at Aston University, followed by a PhD degree and a research job at Imperial College London.
He took up positions at Somerville College in Oxford, Newcastle University, the University of Warwick, and the University of Reading, before relocating to Coventry University in 2014.
Warwick is a Chartered Engineer (CEng), a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (FIET) and a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute (FCGI). He is Visiting Professor at the Czech Technical University in Prague, the University of Strathclyde, Bournemouth University, and the University of Reading, and in 2004 he was Senior Beckman Fellow at the University of Illinois in the United States. He is also on the Advisory Boards of the Instinctive Computing Laboratory at Carnegie Mellon University,[13] and the Centre for Intermedia at the University of Exeter.[14]
By the age of 40, Warwick had been awarded a DSc degree by both Imperial College London and the Czech Academy of Sciences in Prague, for his research output in two entirely unrelated areas. He has received the IET Achievement Medal, the IET Mountbatten Medal, and in 2011 the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine.[15] In 2000, Warwick presented the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures, entitled The Rise of Robots.[16]
Awards and recognition[edit]
Warwick received the Future Health Technology Award in 2000,[80] and was presented with the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) Achievement Medal in 2004.[81] In 2008, he was awarded the Mountbatten Medal.[82] In 2009 he received the Marcellin Champagnat award from Universidad Marista Guadalajara and the Golden Eurydice Award.[83] In 2011 he received the Ellison-Cliffe Medal from the Royal Society of Medicine.[84] In 2014, he was elected to the membership of the European Academy of Sciences and Arts.[85] In 2018 Warwick was inducted into the International Academy for Systems and Cybernetic Sciences[86] and in 2020 he was awarded an Honorary Fellowship of the Cybernetics Society.[87]
He is the recipient of ten honorary doctorates, these being from Aston University,[88] Coventry University,[8][89] Robert Gordon University,[90][91][92] Bradford University,[93][94] University of Bedfordshire,[89] Portsmouth University,[95] Kingston University,[96] Ss. Cyril and Methodius University of Skopje,[97] Edinburgh Napier University,[98][99][100] and Galgotias University.[101][102]
Reception[edit]
Warwick has both his critics and endorsers, some of whom describe him as a "maverick".[103] Others see his work as "not very scientific" and more like "entertainment", whereas some regard him as "an extraordinarily creative experimenter", his presentations as "awesome" and his work as "profound".[104][105]
Warwick has written several books, articles and papers. A selection of his books:
Lectures (inaugural and keynote lectures):
Warwick is a regular presenter at the annual Careers Scotland Space School, University of Strathclyde.
He appeared at the 2009 World Science Festival[116] with Mary McDonnell, Nick Bostrom, Faith Salie and Hod Lipson.