Biography
Dr Fitzgerald is an academic and business leader with a long association with the University of Cambridge. He is currently a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University and an Official Fellow in Engineering at Girton College. Dr Fitzgerald is also the CEO of Breathing Buildings Ltd, a leading technology company pioneering hybrid ventilation systems. Prior to founding Breathing Buildings in 2006, he was a Research Associate at the University of Cambridge’s BP Institute, and undertook a number of business development roles in the private sector. From 1995 to 1997 he was Geothermal Program Manager, at Stanford University.
Dr Fitzgerald is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, a Fellow of the Energy Institute and a Fellow of the Chartered Institution of Building Services Engineers. He has published widely in academic journals.
Dr Fitzgerald is married with four children and lives in Cambridgeshire.
The Royal Institution of Great Britain (Ri), home of the world famous CHRISTMAS LECTURES, has today announced the appointment of Dr Shaun Fitzgerald FREng as its new Director.
A Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor at the Department of Engineering at Cambridge University, Dr Fitzgerald is also the CEO of Breathing Buildings Ltd, a leading technology company pioneering hybrid ventilation systems. He was appointed a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2014.
Ri Chair of Trustees, Sir Richard Sykes, said: ‘The Ri Trustees were unanimous in appointing Shaun as Director of the Royal Institution, based on the breadth of his achievements and the depth of his commitment to our vision.
‘Having founded a technology-based start-up and built it into a highly successful business, it is his mix of science and commercial skills, and his belief in the importance of public engagement with science, which make him such a strong appointment.
‘I look forward to working with Shaun as we inspire people to think more deeply about science and its place in our lives.’
Dr Fitzgerald said: ‘The Ri is a much-loved institution with a rich heritage and a purpose to connect people with science, which is more important today than ever before.
‘Science and its applications are core to the development of society. As an engineer, I have seen the ways in which scientific advances can dramatically transform people’s lives, and it has made me particularly passionate about public engagement with science. Hence I am genuinely excited to be leading the Royal Institution in its important mission to create opportunities for everyone to discover, discuss and critically examine science and how it shapes the world around us.’
Dr Fitzgerald will take up his position as Director of the Royal Institution immediately, initially working one day per week and increasing to three days per week after Easter.