Edwards and King's College London collaboration recognised through visiting professorship
GLOBAL | 1 September 2026 | 3 min
Recognition highlights the role of industry and academia in advancing scientific discovery
Andrew Chew, Principal Scientist in the Scientific Vacuum Division of Edwards, Part of Atlas Copco Group, has been appointed Visiting Professor of Physics at King's College London. The appointment was awarded by the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical & Engineering Sciences in recognition of his international leadership in vacuum science, his contributions to the Department of Physics and his ongoing engagement with the wider university.
Through his role at Edwards and his work with the academic community, Andrew has helped strengthen the exchange of knowledge between industry and academia. The appointment reflects the value of bringing together scientific research and engineering expertise to support innovation and address complex scientific challenges. The joint projects at King's College London focus on unique developments of next generation vacuum technologies with potential use in a wide range of applications.
"I am honoured to be appointed Visiting Professor at King's College London," said Andrew Chew. "Working with university researchers and students has been an important part of my career. This appointment recognizes what can be achieved when academia and industry share knowledge, exchange ideas, and work together to solve scientific challenges. I look forward to continuing that work in the years ahead."
The appointment is particularly notable because it is the first Visiting Professorship awarded by the department in ten years.
Andrew Chew
King’s Professor James Millen, Professor of Physics at King’s, said of the appointment “Our partnership with Dr Chew has been exciting and rewarding for all involved. The opportunity to drive fundamental research through to real-world application is a rare one, and Dr Chew has expertly guided us on that journey. Having an industry leader work closely with us at King’s has benefited everyone, and Dr Chew’s contributions to the growing success of the Faculty of Natural, Mathematical and Engineering Sciences are rightly recognised by this rarely awarded Visiting Professorship. We look forward to many more years of close collaboration.”
James Millen
King's College London
As scientific challenges become increasingly complex, collaboration between universities and industry plays an important role in accelerating discovery and turning research into practical applications. This appointment provides new opportunities to strengthen these connections, support future research, and help develop the next generation of scientists and engineers.
King’s College London is amongst the top 40 universities in the world and 5th best in the UK (QS World University Rankings 2026), and one of England’s oldest and most prestigious universities. With an outstanding reputation for world-class teaching and cutting-edge research, King’s maintained its sixth position for ‘research power’ in the UK (2021 Research Excellence Framework).