Prof. Keith L. Lewis

Keith Lewis is a Director of Sciovis and a member of the UK Ministry of Defence Science Expert Committee's Register of Independent S&T Advisors. Previously he served as Research Director of the UK's Electromagnetic Remote Sensing Defence Technology Centre (EMRS DTC) following a role as a Senior Fellow/Technical Director at QinetiQ, where he was responsible for research and innovation across its Technology and Products Division. He is an SPIE Fellow, has worked in the field of optics and optical devices since the 1970s, and has contributed to over 300 scientific papers, reports and patents. He served as a member of SPIE's Board of Directors for the period 2014-2016 and as the Chair of its European Advisory Committee.

His career in the defence arena has necessarily involved detailed R&D in a number of diverse fields of activity, including molecular beam deposition, biomimetics, laser damage, sensor protection and computational imaging, culminating in a number of awards and accolades. In 1993 he was awarded an Achievement Award by The Technical Cooperation Program (TTCP) for work on the erosion of transparent ceramics. This resulted from technical collaboration between the governments of Australia, Canada, New Zealand, the UK and USA in the area of advanced materials for airborne infrared systems. In 1993 he was also conferred with the title of Honorary Professor for his contribution to the work of the Department of Physics at Heriot-Watt University in Edinburgh, Scotland. In 2000 he was awarded the UK Defence Evaluation and Research Agency Prize for the Exploitation of Science for his work in thin film optics and its role in enhancing the survivability of military systems.