Professor Brian Tanner, MA, DPhil, CPhys, FInstP, FHEA, FRSA

Brian Tanner is Professor of Physics and Dean for University Enterprise at Durham University.

Brian moved to Durham in 1973 as a Lecturer having held a Junior Research Fellowship at Linacre College Oxford. He was promoted to Senior Lecturer in 1983, Reader in 1986 and Professor in 1990. He was Head of the Department of Physics from 1996-1999. From 1999-2000 he held a Sir James Knott Foundation Fellowship and from 2000-2001 he was a Leverhulme Research Fellow. From 2000-2005, he directed the North East Centre for Scientific Enterprise, subsequently becoming Director of Technology Transfer. In 2008 he was appointed Dean of Knowledge Transfer with a strategic remit for the Enterprise and Knowledge Transfer across the University.

Brian has served on numerous Research Council committees and panels, has chaired international committees at major research facilities and peer review committees of the Engineering and Physical Science Research Council. In 1978 he co-founded a spin-off company, Bede Scientific Instruments Ltd which floated on the London Stock Exchange in 2000. Its assets were purchased by Jordan Valley Semiconductor in 2008.  He is Deputy Chairman and a non-executive director of another Durham University spin-off company, Kromek Ltd, based at NETPark.

Brian's research interests lie in understanding the relationship between magnetic, optical and structural properties of advanced materials, making particular use of high resolution X-ray scattering. He was jointly awarded the 2005 Barrett Award of the International Center for Diffraction Data.

Brian obtained a BA Honours degree in Physics from Oxford University in 1968, MA in 1972, and DPhil from its Department of Metallurgy in 1972. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Higher Education Academy and the Royal Society of Arts.  In 2012, he received the Queen’s Award for Enterprise Promotion.  He also became Chief Scientific Advisor to NETPark, County Durham’s Science Park at Sedgefield and was appointed Chair of County Durham Economic Partnership.

Brian was appointed as a staff member of the University Council from 1 August 2006, having previously served as an elected staff member from 1992-95, 1996-99, and 1999-2002.  He was Chair of the College Council of Van Mildert College 2006-2012.  During his time at Durham Brian has served on numerous University committees including Senate, the Special Nominating Committee, Finance and General Purposes Committee, and Health and Safety Committee which he chaired for 7 years.