Spotlight on Dave Chapman
23 March 2012
This week the spotlight is on Dave Chapman, Vice-Dean for Enterprise, Faculty of Engineering Sciences.
What is your role and what does it involve?
I run a number of courses for budding entrepreneurs at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. These include undergraduate and MSc "taught" programmes alongside a range of extra-curricular activities delivered through ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Advances.
As Vice Dean for enterprise in Engineering I see my role as communicating the benefits of closer collaboration between industry and academia whilst trying to minimise barriers to effective knowledge exchange between ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº academics and our external partners.
How long have you been at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº and what was your previous role?
My disciplinary background is Mapping and Geographic Information Systems. During my time at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº I have contributed to many exciting initiatives including the creation of an MSc in Geographic Information Science and the formation of ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's interdisciplinary Centre for Advanced Spatial Analysis (CASA). I also worked in ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº's Technology Transfer Office before returning to an academic role to help set up the Department of Management Science and Innovation and ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº Advances.
What working achievement or initiative are you most proud of?
Along with the satisfaction of seeing my ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº spin-out successfully harness new photogrammetric methods to solve real engineering challenges I get immense pride from supporting the growth of new companies spawned entrepreneurship programmes at ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº. In the last quarter of 2011 it was fantastic to see two companies from the ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº MSc in Technology Entrepreneurship each raise more than £1m in early stage investment.
What is your life like outside ¹û¶³Ó°Ôº?
As long as the Saracens keep winning life is good.