Professor Simon Saunders, independent telecoms advisor, and Honorary Professor at the University’s Smart Internet Lab, has been awarded an OBE for his outstanding contribution for services to Telecommunications.
Professor Saunders said: “Receiving an OBE for something I'm so passionate about is truly humbling. My career has been driven by a wonder at the magic of wireless communications, and its potential to enable transformative experiences such as the 5G music lesson. I'm excited to continue pushing the boundaries of what's possible with advanced connectivity and the power of music making.”
Professor Saunders is an advisor and researcher with an industry and academic background in communication systems technology. As well as being an Honorary Professor at the University of Bristol, Simon is a Visiting Professor at King’s College London, chair of the UKTIN Expert Working Group on Wireless Networking Technologies, and Trustee of the charity Music for All. In 2021, he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering.
In 2019, he organised the world’s first 5G music lesson on behalf of Music for All. Musician and songwriter Jamie Cullum led the 5G music lesson from his piano at the two thousand year-old Roman Amphitheatre in London, playing live with amateur musicians at We the Curious, an educational charity and science centre in Bristol, and The Royal Birmingham Conservatoire using 5G technology.
He is an internationally recognised leader, inventor and communicator in the field of wireless communications technology, with achievements in industry (Google, Philips and Motorola) academia (University of Surrey, Trinity College Dublin, King’s College London) and regulation (Ofcom and UK Government Advisor to the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology).
Professor Saunders spearheaded the small cell revolution, founding and chairing the Small Cell Forum, enabling standards, regulation and industry recognition of this now-established technology. He is co-founder of Real Wireless, author of a widely taught textbook on antennas and propagation plus over 150 papers, and inventor of some 15 patent families.
MBE for University Deputy Chair of Trustees
Professor Andrew Carr, Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees and Alumni Association Trustee on the Board of Trustees at the University, has been awarded an MBE for his outstanding contribution to Orthopaedic Research and Training.
Professor Andy Carr said: "It was a huge surprise to receive this award. It recognises the work of many colleagues, collaborators and students who have been very supportive throughout my career. I am enormously appreciative to them all. I am especially pleased that orthopaedic research has been recognised and am grateful to the commitment and support of patients and funders.”
Professor Carr is a graduate of the University of Bristol (MBChB 1982, ChM 1987) and was appointed the University’s Deputy Chair of the Board of Trustees and Alumni Association Trustee on the Board of Trustees in 2019.
He undertook postgraduate training in Oxford, Seattle and Melbourne obtaining his Fellowship of the Royal College of Surgeons in England and an MA and DSc from Oxford University.
Professor Carr is currently the Nuffield Professor of Orthopaedic Surgery at the University of Oxford. His research has focused on the development and evaluation of surgical technologies including joint replacement, arthroscopy and tissue engineering.
In 2002, he founded the Botnar Institute for Musculoskeletal Sciences. Professor Carr has held senior leadership positions in the university, NHS and charity sectors in the UK and has had advisory roles at international universities and research councils.
He is also a member of the University’s Equity, Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Oversight Committee, Nominations Committee of the Board and the Pensions Task and Finish Group. He is the Chair of the Remuneration Committee.
His awards include an honorary doctorate from the University of Copenhagen, the Robert Jones Gold Medal of the British Orthopaedic Association and a Fellowship of the Academy of Medical Sciences.