Professor Tim Kerby is a systems engineering leader and strategic adviser whose work spans government, industry and academia. He founded Edinburgh Systems, an independent consultancy specialising in systems engineering and systems thinking, through which he advises senior leaders and major programmes on complex technology, infrastructure and organisational change.
Tim serves as a senior adviser to the Department for Business, Innovation, Science and Trade, contributing to UK policy on research and innovation infrastructure and research security. Alongside this, he is a Royal Academy of Engineering Visiting Professor in Systems Engineering at Heriot-Watt University and a Visiting Academic at the University of Edinburgh. Across both universities, he brings practical whole-systems experience into teaching and research, strengthening the place of systems engineering and systems thinking as disciplines for addressing complex challenges.
Across more than two decades in engineering and innovation, Tim has worked in semiconductors, advanced technologies, healthcare, aerospace, energy and infrastructure. He began his career developing imaging systems for early camera phones at STMicroelectronics before moving to Analog Devices, where he led global systems engineering and functional safety transformation. More recently, his work with Connected Places Catapult for the Department for Transport on zero-emission flight infrastructure has addressed the transition to hydrogen-powered aviation and the resulting implications for airports and wider systems.
Tim is also passionate about STEM education and community engagement with science and engineering. A STEM Ambassador and former director of Edinburgh Hacklab, he has supported hands-on learning and grassroots innovation through makerspaces, professional institutions and public outreach.
Tim is a European Engineer (EUR ING), Chartered Engineer, Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology, an inaugural Fellow of the Institute for Systems Engineering, and an INCOSE Certified Systems Engineering Professional.
Professor Kerby joined the SSAC on 1 October 2026.
