Oral History: Eric Ash (1994)

Eric Ash is an electrical engineer who has specialized primarily in electron optics and ultrasonics. He received a bachelor's degree in electrical engineering from Imperial College in 1948 and received his Doctor in Science degree in 1952 from Imperial, working with Denis Gabor. After holding a Fulbright fellowship at Stanford, Ash returned to London in 1954 where he did research on microwave tubes and acousto-electronics at the Standard Telecommunications Laboratory (STL) from 1955 through 1963. In 1963 he became a professor of electrical engineering at University College in London, continuing his ultrasonics research there; in 1985 Ash became Rector of Imperial College. He is currently retired.

The interview begins with Ash's early years and education at the University College School and Imperial College, with particular emphasis on Ash's affiliation with Denis Gabor. After discussing his experiences with applied physical electronics at Stanford University in the early 1950s, Ash describes his work on microwave tubes and acousto-electronics at the industrial laboratory at STL. He then discusses the circumstances of his becoming a professor of electrical engineering at University College and compares industrial with academic research; he also outlines some of the consulting work he did for various companies, including a sabbatical with IBM in 1969-1970 and work with General Electric in Schenectady. He discusses the difficulty of predicting technological development and the considerable "internationality" of research in ultrasonics. He describes his work as Rector of Imperial College primarily in terms of the management and administrative work this position required; he notes that by 1989 he had no real hands-on contact with research or teaching. He discusses at length his association with the IEE publication Electronics Letters and compares it with the IEE Proceedings and the IEEE Transactions. More broadly, he discusses his membership in and committee work for both IEE and IEEE. He discusses books and persons he has found to be particularly influential. The interview concludes with a discussion of various consulting positions he currently holds.