Lifetime Achievement Award
Professor Nira Chamberlain OBE has spent his career solving real-world problems through the application of mathematics: from thought experiments to bespoke algorithms, he is the consulting industry’s mathematician.
Over the last 25 years, his unique expertise has made the world safer, cleaner, and more efficient, using his inimitable personality to bring clarity to complexity.
To clients, he’s the consultant who finds hidden solutions in figures where others just see numbers or risks. The Queen Elizabeth Class aircraft carriers may never have been built, had Professor Chamberlain not outlined his ‘Goldilocks’ budget solution to senior Ministers, Naval Officers, and Industry figures.
The way he weaves ideas and practices from other disciplines into consulting is unique: for example, applying an algorithm used to predict heart attacks to data from the Canada Line in Vancouver, transforming the way operators could predict and fix faults. Professor Chamberlain’s approach is novel and innovative, using creative thinking to solve the problem at hand.
His professional and personal story are inspiring – he’s a true role model – he’s part of Speakers for Schools, has appeared on BBC Radio 4’s The Life Scientific, and was awarded an OBE in 2022 for services to mathematics.
At Atkins he’s at the heart of the company’s efforts to develop its data science capability, and works with several Professional Learned bodies and leading UK companies to create industry-wide professional standards.
View the Atkins profile in the MCA Members Directory.