     sir peter john gregson, dl freng (born 3 november 1957, dunfermline, scotland) is a british research engineer and the 11th vice-chancellor of queen's university belfast, northern ireland. on 1 august 2013, sir peter became vice-chancellor of cranfield university.cranfield university press release 18 february 2013, accessed 22 february 2013 ==early life== he joined gkn rolled and bright steel ltd. as an industrial scholar in 1976. he studied metallurgy and materials science at imperial college london and graduated with a bsc(eng) (first class) in materials science in 1980, and was awarded the bessemer medal. he obtained his phd in 1983, and was awarded the matthey prize. ==academic career== he was appointed to a lectureship at the university of southampton in 1983, progressing to professor of aerospace materials in 1995, at age 37. during his research career, he published over 160 papers, books and patents with over 80 being in premier academic journals. he was academic director of the luxfer advanced technology centre (1998â2004), the depuy university technology partnership (2000â04) and the defence and aerospace research partnership (darp) in advanced metallic airframes. he was a member of the international committee for the biennial international conference on aluminium alloys (icaa, 1998-04) and chair of icaa 2002.  as head of the 
1957_births Academics_of_Queen\'s_University_Belfast Academics_of_the_University_of_Southampton Alumni_of_Imperial_College_London Fellows_of_the_Royal_Academy_of_Engineering Knights_Bachelor Living_people Members_of_the_Royal_Irish_Academy People_associated_with_Cranfield_University People_from_Dunfermline Vice-Chancellors_of_Queen\'s_University_Belfast