Portrait photograph of Professor Simon Pollard OBE DSc FREng

Professor Simon Pollard OBE DSc FREng

Non-Executive Director

Professor Simon Pollard OBE DSc FREng is an environmental engineer (Imperial College, PhD; Cranfield University, DSc) with 35 years’ experience in environmental protection and the green economy, Simon is a leading international authority in environmental risk management, having directed institutes for Government and the Research Councils; drafted Government guidelines on environmental risk; and championed risk centres for EPSRC and NERC. Simon has served Cranfield University for over twenty years in a senior capacity as Head of Department, Dean of Faculty, and Pro-Vice Chancellor for the School of Water, Energy and Environment (2014-2021) and Pro-Vice-Chancellor International (2018-2024).

For nine years, Simon led the university’s internationalisation strategy, progressed a set of strategic partnerships with international universities and developed new transnational education opportunities with Muscat (2017-22) and Jiangsu Universities (2018-). His work on ‘responsible internationalisation’ led to a reset of Cranfield’s approach to academic partnerships in the rapidly changing geopolitical climate. Beyond academe, Simon has contributed to numerous Government and research committees; has chaired several public service fora; and was an editor of the international academic journal Science of the Total Environment for sixteen years. He is an active contributor to the Royal Academy of Engineering, of which he is a Fellow, and was awarded the Order of the British Empire in 2020.

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