Professor May is Chief Technical Officer and co-founder of spin-out semiconductor company XMOS Ltd, which develops software-defined silicon devices and tools. He developed the core technology that enables consumer electronics equipment manufacturers to follow fashions and differentiate products rapidly at minimal cost.

Fifty-three of the UK’s leading engineers were elected to the Academy at its annual general meeting in July. Lord Browne of Madingley, President of Royal Academy of Engineering, said: ‘The expertise of our Fellows is a unique national resource. We want to see that expertise brought to bear to bear at a much earlier stage of policy development – to ensure that policy is workable, sustainable and affordable. While business itself remains the prime vehicle for wealth creation, government can and must do a lot more to foster the right climate for success. Thanks to our network of Fellows with their unrivalled experience in engineering business and research, we are uniquely well placed to help government understand the needs of business.’

Professor May gained many years of experience in the semiconductor industry before coming to the University of Bristol and has granted many patents centred around microprocessor technology.

In 1990, Professor May was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society for his contributions to computer architecture and parallel computing. He is on the technical advisory boards of several semiconductor companies.