Nationality United Kingdom Role Scientist Name Frances Saunders | Employer Institute of Physics Citizenship United Kingdom | |
 | ||
Education PhD, Physics of liquid crystal devices (1980-1984)
BSc, Physics (1972-1975) Known for Chief Executive of Dstl Board member of Engineering Development Trust - Trustee
Cranfield University - Council Member | ||
Alma mater University of Nottingham | ||
Frances Carolyn Saunders CB FREng FInstP (born 28 June 1954) is a British scientist and former civil servant. She was the chief executive of Dstl between August 2007 and March 2012. Prior to this Saunders was a policy officer at the Office of Science and Technology and research scientist into liquid crystal devices at the Royal Signals and Radar Establishment. Saunders was the president of the Institute of Physics from 2013 – 2015.
Saunders attended the girls-only Portsmouth High School, before attending Nottingham University to study physics. She became Leyland's first female graduate engineer, on an electronic engineering apprenticeship, eventually leaving due to frustration that the electronic systems she worked on were not used on mass-production scales. This was when she joined the RSRE and started a part-time PhD in liquid crystal devices.
After retiring from Dstl in 2012, Saunders took on a number of activities promoting science, engineering and leadership, especially for young people. She was appointed as a member of the UK Space Agency Steering Board in 2015, was president of the IOP from 2013 – 2015, and is a trustee of the Engineering Development Trust. She was elected a fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2011, and was made a Companion of the Order of the Bath the same year.