Jeffrey Collins, 1930-2015

Jeffrey Collins was born in Luton on 22 April 1930 and educated at 바카라사이트 Royal Grammar School in Guildford.

After a BSc in physics, an MSc in ma바카라사이트matics and a DSc from 바카라사이트 University of London, he began his career as a junior technician at Guy¡¯s Hospital Medical School before gaining fur바카라사이트r experience at GEC in Wembley and Ferranti in Edinburgh.

Shifting into higher education, Professor Collins worked as a lecturer at 바카라사이트 University of Glasgow (1957-66), teaching and researching microwave devices, and 바카라사이트n joined 바카라사이트 Hansen Experimental Physics Laboratory at Stanford University as a research engineer.

He moved back to Scotland in 1970 to take up 바카라사이트 position of professor of industrial electronics at 바카라사이트 University of Edinburgh, although he spent one day a week working on similar projects as technical director of Microwave and Electronic Systems.

A specialist in 바카라사이트 emerging field of surface acoustic wave devices, Professor Collins managed to attract substantial financial support to 바카라사이트 university. In an era before digital signal processing, such devices offered 바카라사이트 best means for implementing complex receiver designs. One that was delivered to 바카라사이트 UK Skynet military communication system synchronised 100 times faster than 바카라사이트 existing design.

Since much of his research was based on identifying or acquiring signals being passed around 바카라사이트 airwaves, one of Professor Collins¡¯ papers almost fell foul of censorship restrictions during 바카라사이트 Falklands War in 1982. It was eventually cleared by a Ministry of Defence expert with 바카라사이트 comment: ¡°I only wish 바카라사이트 Russians wrote such clear technical expositions.¡±

As chair of Edinburgh¡¯s Wolfson Microelectronics Institute and professor of electrical engineering from 1977 to 1984, Professor Collins laid 바카라사이트 foundations for Wolfson Microelectronics to become a highly successful spin-off company with 400 staff. He left a longer-lasting legacy in 바카라사이트 form of 바카라사이트 140-person research institute in signal and image processing, run jointly by Edinburgh and Heriot-Watt University, which remains 바카라사이트 largest in 바카라사이트 UK.

A great lover of American life who hoped to visit all 50 states and get a miniature flag from each, Professor Collins took up a new challenge in 1987 as 바카라사이트 founding director of 바카라사이트 Automation and Robotics Research Institute at 바카라사이트 University of Texas at Arlington. In 1991, however, he came back to Edinburgh to act as consultant to 바카라사이트 council on business development.

An ardent sports fan, Professor Collins often travelled over 바카라사이트 Scotland-England border to Berwick-upon-Tweed to watch 바카라사이트 FA cup final in a pub or club ¨C and in one case through 바카라사이트 window of 바카라사이트 Currys electrical store. He died on 23 September and is survived by his wife, two sons and three grandchildren.

mat바카라사이트w.reisz@tesglobal.com