Chris Wise

Who is Chris Wise?

Professor Christopher Mark Wise BSc MIStructE MIABSE FRSA RDI is an English academic and engineer. Wise began his career with Ove Arup and Partners in 1979. After working in UK, Australia and US, he became Arup’s youngest Director in 1992, and later became one of five Board Directors responsible for Building Engineering’s 500 engineers and support staff. In 1999 he left Arup and co-founded Expedition Engineering together with Seán Walsh.

In 2008 Wise, Walsh and Ed McCann, the three remaining shareholders in Expedition Engineering, gave the company over to the benefit of its employees, becoming the Useful Simple Trust.

Wise was the first Professor of Creative Design at Imperial College, as well as Master of the Royal Designers for Industry 2007–2009. He is co-director of the Royal Designers Summer School and has been co-presenter at the BBC's reconstruction of several pieces of ancient technology.

Since 2012 Wise has spent two days a week at University College London as Professor of Civil Engineering Design.

Wise has been a Member of IStructE since the 1980s.