Burnett has a long-standing commitment to vocational and technical education, advocating for the development of high-level vocational education and apprenticeships[13] and serving as the President of the Science Council[14] and on the board of the National Technician Development Centre and of Heated.
Biography
Burnett was born in Llwynypia in the Rhondda Valley. He studied Physics at Jesus College, Oxford obtaining a BA degree in 1975 then a DPhil degree in 1979. He held academic positions in Physics at the University of Colorado, Imperial College and the University of Oxford before taking up the role of vice chancellor at the University of Sheffield in 2007.[7] During his time at the University of Oxford he was appointed Chairman of Physics and then Head of the Division of Mathematical, Physical and Life Sciences.[15] His research includes the study of Bose–Einstein condensates.
Memberships
He was Chair of the board of the Universities and Colleges Employers Association (UCEA) from October 2009 to September 2011.[16]
He is also currently a member of the United Kingdom government's Council for Science and Technology,[18] and in September 2016 was elected president of the Science Council.[19] He was appointed to the Advisory Council of Infrastructure UK in 2012 to advise the UK treasury on investments including on energy, transport, waste, flood, science, water and telecoms.[15] In March 2015 he joined the management board of HEFCE.[20] In 2021 he was elected President-elect of the Institute of Physics, serving on the IoP Council until taking up the post of President in 2023.[21]
Personal
He is married and has two children. His interests include the Chinese language and culture.[15]