Robert Mair, Baron Mair facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
The Lord Mair
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Lord Mair's official parliamentary photo
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| Born | 20 April 1950 |
| Alma mater | Clare College, Cambridge |
| Known for | Jubilee Line Extension |
| Awards | Fellow of the Royal Society Commander of the Order of the British Empire |
| Scientific career | |
| Institutions | University of Cambridge Institution of Civil Engineers Crossrail Laing O'Rourke Scott Wilson Group The Leys School |
| Thesis | Centrifugal modelling of tunnel construction in soft clay (1979) |
| Doctoral advisor | Andrew N. Schofield |
| Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal |
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| Assumed office 29 October 2015 Life Peerage |
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Robert James Mair, Baron Mair (born 20 April 1950) is a very important engineer. He specializes in geotechnical engineering, which is about how soil and rock behave when we build things. He is a professor at the University of Cambridge.
Lord Mair also started a special center called the Cambridge Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC). This center helps make buildings and roads smarter using new technology. From 2001 to 2011, he was the head of Jesus College, Cambridge. He also served as the president of the Institution of Civil Engineers from 2017 to 2018.
In 2015, he became a member of the House of Lords. This is part of the UK Parliament where important decisions are made. He works there as an independent member, focusing on topics like building projects, science, and education. He is currently the Chair of the Science and Technology Committee.
Contents
Becoming an Engineer
Early Life and School
Robert Mair was born on April 20, 1950. His father, William Austyn Mair, was also a professor at the University of Cambridge.
Robert went to school in Cambridge at St Faith's and The Leys School. After that, he studied Engineering at Clare College, Cambridge, and finished his first degree in 1972.
Advanced Studies
He later returned to the university in 1976 to study for a PhD degree. He earned his PhD in 1979. His research focused on how to build tunnels in soft ground.
What Lord Mair Does
Expert in Ground Engineering
Lord Mair is a top expert in geotechnical engineering. This field uses science to understand soil and rock. It helps engineers design and build things like tunnels, foundations, and deep holes safely. His special skill is designing and building tunnels.
Many projects around the world have asked for his advice. He has helped with tunnels, strong walls, deep digs, and building foundations.
Working in the Industry
Before becoming a professor in 1998, Lord Mair worked in the construction industry for 27 years. He worked for a company called Scott Wilson Kirkpatrick in London and Hong Kong. During this time, he also spent three years researching tunnels at the University of Cambridge.
In 1983, he helped start a company called Geotechnical Consulting Group. This company gives advice on ground engineering projects all over the world.
Major UK Projects
Lord Mair has given advice on many big projects in the UK. These include:
- The Jubilee Line Extension for London Underground.
- The Channel Tunnel Rail Link (now called HS1).
- Crossrail (now known as the Elizabeth Line).
- The HS2 project.
He is famous for inventing a new way to build tunnels without damaging buildings above ground. This method is called compensation grouting. He first used it for the Waterloo Escalator Tunnel Project. It was then used on the Jubilee Line Extension to protect many old buildings. This included the Big Ben clock tower at the Palace of Westminster. Compensation grouting was also used for the Elizabeth Line. Now, this method is used widely around the world.
International Work
Lord Mair has also advised on railway and metro tunnels in many cities. These include Amsterdam, Athens, Barcelona, Hong Kong, Singapore, and Warsaw. He also helped with motorway tunnels in Turkey.
From 2007 to 2014, he co-chaired a special board for the Singapore Government. This board advised on how to design and build all their underground metro and road tunnels.
Important Reviews and Panels
Lord Mair has led many important reviews.
- In 2012, he chaired a report on shale gas and hydraulic fracturing for the Royal Society.
- He was part of the expert panel for Crossrail and is now doing a similar job for HS2.
- After a train accident in Scotland in 2020, he led a review of Network Rail's earthworks management.
- In 2022, he chaired a review for EDF about the Hinkley Point C nuclear power station. He has also chaired similar reviews for the Sizewell C nuclear power station.
Return to University
In 1998, Lord Mair returned to the University of Cambridge as a professor. He focused on research that helps the construction industry. He helped the Geotechnical and Environmental Research Group become one of the biggest in the world. He was the Sir Kirby Laing Professor of Civil Engineering from 2011 to 2017. He was also the Head of Civil Engineering from 1999 to 2016.
In 2010, he helped create the Laing O'Rourke Centre for Construction Engineering and Technology at Cambridge. This center works with the University of Cambridge and Laing O'Rourke to bring new ideas to the construction industry.
Smart Infrastructure
Lord Mair is the founding head of the Centre for Smart Infrastructure and Construction (CSIC) at the University of Cambridge. This center gets funding from the government and industry. CSIC uses sensor technologies and data analysis to make infrastructure smarter. They develop new ways to build things and to check old buildings and roads. They focus on wireless sensor networks and new fibre optic sensing technology. CSIC works with many companies and has used its new sensor technologies on about 100 different sites.
In 2015, he helped get £18 million in government funding for a new Civil Engineering Building. This building, which opened in 2019, has a special research facility for infrastructure sensing.
In 2020, Lord Mair became the chair of One CAM. This company is in charge of building the Cambridgeshire Autonomous Metro.
Awards and Recognition
Lord Mair has received many honors for his work.
- He became a Fellow of the Institution of Civil Engineers (FICE) in 1990.
- He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) in 1992.
- He became a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 2007.
- In 2006, he gave the 46th Rankine Lecture, which is a very important talk in geotechnical engineering.
- He was awarded the Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in 2010.
- He has received many research grants from the EPSRC.
- The Institution of Civil Engineers gave him their Gold Medal in 2004 and their President's Medal in 2013. He also won their Crampton Prize in 2006 and 2015.
- He has given many invited talks around the world.
He has also received honorary degrees from the Universities of Nottingham and Leeds, and from Imperial College, London. On October 29, 2015, he was made a life peer. This means he became a member of the House of Lords for life, with the title Baron Mair.
In February 2019, Lord Mair was elected as a foreign member of the US National Academy of Engineering. This was for his important work in underground construction and smart infrastructure. It also recognized his leadership in government, engineering, research, and education.
