GLOUCESTERSHIRE, UNITED KINGDOM--Renishaw plc’s Chairman and Chief Executive Sir David McMurtry has been elected as a fellow of the Royal Society, the United Kingdom’s national academy of science. The formal admission ceremony will take place in London on July 15, and Sir David will join a fellowship of the most eminent scientists, engineers and technologists from the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth, all of whom are elected for life through a rigorous peer review process on the basis of excellence in science.

Sir David is one of 44 new fellows and eight new foreign members elected this year, including scientific experts working on drug-resistant malaria, non-invasive prenatal diagnosis of genetic disorders and our understanding of the solar system.

The fellowship citation for Sir David, recognizes that he “is distinguished for his ability to think laterally and come up with innovative solutions to measurement problems, combined with business leadership.” The citation also notes that from the time of his invention of the touch trigger probe in the early 1970s, Sir David has remained at the forefront of measurement technology, with his name on more than 150 Renishaw patents.

Sir David has received significant global recognition for his career achievements including honorary doctorates from leading U.K. universities, Fellowships from the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Institute of Mechanical Engineers and the U.S. Society of Manufacturing Engineers (SME), and last year he was awarded the prestigious General Pierre Nicolau Award by the International Academy for Production Engineering (CIRP). In 1989 he became a Royal Designer for industry, in 1994 was made a CBE “for services to science and technology”, and in 2001 was appointed a Knight Bachelor “for services to design and innovation.”