Top prof heads up engineering at Greenwich

An University of Greenwich product story

Edited by the Engineeringtalk editorial team Jul 1, 2002

A top engineering professor has been recruited to head the School of Engineering at the University of Greenwich at Medway.

A top engineering professor has been recruited to head the School of Engineering at the University of Greenwich at Medway.

Prof Ndy Ekere has joined the university from the University of Salford.

He will lead over 50 staff and 1100 students at the university, working closely with schools and employers in Medway and surrounding areas.

Medway is to benefit from a new research centre which is being established by Prof Ekere.

His special research interests are in electronics manufacturing and packaging technology - bringing down the price of goods we buy in the shops.

Five members of his research team have already joined him at the University of Greenwich at Medway.

Another two appointments are to be made.

Professor Ekere brings international experience and expertise to Medway.

His career began in Nigeria where he won a BEng from the University of Nigeria and went on to work as a mechanical engineer with Shell.

He then came to the UK to study for an MSc at Loughborough University and gained at PhD at UMIST in Manchester.

A Chartered Engineer and a member of the Institution of Electrical Engineers, Professor Ekere has nearly 20 years experience in higher education and industry.

He says: "Medway is a fascinating area and I am delighted to be moving here at such an exciting time.

For many manufacturing and engineering businesses the School of Engineering is their university on the doorstep.

Here at the University of Greenwich we are educating the engineers of the future and we provide skills training for those who are already working in the industry.

Also, we offer top class research and consultancy services to businesses in Medway and around the world.

"One thing that has already impressed me about the university is that it includes many different strands of engineering, so that it is able to meet needs of local industry - much more so than one would usually expect".

Since the University of Greenwich established its Medway campus in 1994, it has been a great boost for the local area.

The number of engineering students has grown from approximately 240 to over 1100.

Student numbers on the campus are set to double from this September when the university brings new academic areas to Medway.

One of these is the Department of Civil Engineering, which is to join Professor Ekere's School of Engineering.

Medway people can choose from a wide range of courses in the School of Engineering from new subjects such as Internet engineering and web management to established disciplines such as electrical and electronic engineering and mechanical engineering.

The university prides itself on its flexible approach so students can study full-time, part-time or by block release.

Courses are on offer at all levels, from predegree foundation programmes to PhDs and postdoctoral research.

The next courses at the university begin in September and applications are being accepted now.