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Anthony Finkelstein
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Sir Anthony Charles Wiener Finkelstein (born 28 July 1959[2]) is a British engineer and computer scientist. He is the President of City St George's, University of London. He was Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security to the British government until 2021.[4]
Key Information
Education and early life
[edit]Anthony Finkelstein was born on 28 July 1959. He was educated at University College School, the University of Bradford (BEng), the London School of Economics (MSc) and the Royal College of Art (PhD, 1985).[5]
Career and research
[edit]Finkelstein's scientific work is in the broad area of software development tools and processes.[1][6][7][8][9] He has also worked on applications of systems modelling in the life sciences.
He was appointed President of City, University of London in June 2021. He is a member of Council of UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) and Chair of the Police Science Council established by the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC).
He was Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security to HM Government from 2015 until 2021. This is a senior role, associated with the Government Office for Science (GOScience) and working across the UK's national security community.[10] During his tenure in post Finkelstein retained a chair in Software Systems Engineering at University College London (UCL) and a Fellowship at the Alan Turing Institute of which he was a Founder Trustee.
Prior to his government role, Finkelstein was the Head of UCL Computer Science and then Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences. He served on the editorial boards of ACM Transactions on Software Engineering and Methodology and IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering. He was appointed in 2013 as a Member of Council of the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council (EPSRC) by the then Minister for Universities and Science, David Willetts.[11] He was appointed as the UK government's Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security in December 2015.[12]
Finkelstein is a visiting professor at Imperial College London,[13] at the University of South Australia and formerly at the National Institute of Informatics, Tokyo, Japan. He was until 2022 a member of the Scientific Advisory Board of the Singapore National Research Foundation and previously served on the Board of the NHS Royal National Orthopaedic Hospital (RNOH).
Honours and awards
[edit]Finkelstein is an elected Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering[14] (FREng).[15] He is also an elected Member of Academia Europaea and a Fellow of the City and Guilds of London Institute. He is a Distinguished Fellow of the Royal United Services Institute (RUSI). He is a Fellow of the Institution of Engineering and Technology (IET) and the British Computer Society (BCS). He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2025.[16]
In 2009 he received the Oliver Lodge Medal of the IET for achievement in Information Technology.[17] In 2013 he received the Outstanding Service Award from the International Federation for Information Processing (IFIP).[18]
Finkelstein was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE) in the 2016 Birthday Honours for services to computer science and engineering[19] and was knighted in the 2022 New Year Honours for public service.[20]
Personal life
[edit]His mother, Mirjam Finkelstein, was a Holocaust survivor of the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp,[21] while his father Ludwik Finkelstein OBE was born in Lwów (then in Poland but now in Ukraine), and became Professor of Measurement and Instrumentation at City University London.[22][23] He is a grandson, via his mother, of Alfred Wiener, the Jewish activist and founder of the Wiener Library.[21] He is a brother of the peer, Daniel Finkelstein[24] and of Tamara Finkelstein, Permanent Secretary at the Department for Environment, Food and Rural Affairs.[25]
He is married and has two sons.[citation needed]
References
[edit]- ^ a b c Anthony Finkelstein publications indexed by Google Scholar
- ^ a b c "FINKELSTEIN, Prof. Anthony Charles Wiener". Who's Who. Vol. 2011 (online Oxford University Press ed.). Oxford: A & C Black. (Subscription or UK public library membership required.)
- ^ Anthony Finkelstein at the Mathematics Genealogy Project
- ^ "Anthony Finkelstein". GOV.UK. Retrieved 28 July 2021.
- ^ Finkelstein, Anthony Charles Wiener (1985). The application of information systems analysis to the activity of the design of complex systems (PhD thesis). Royal College of Art. OCLC 499200161.
- ^ Nuseibeh, B.; Kramer, J.; Finkelstein, A. (1994). "A framework for expressing the relationships between multiple views in requirements specification". IEEE Transactions on Software Engineering. 20 (10): 760–773. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.1.7488. doi:10.1109/32.328995. S2CID 492232.
- ^ Anthony Finkelstein at DBLP Bibliography Server
- ^ de Lemos, Rogério; Giese, Holger; Müller, Hausi A.; Shaw, Mary; Andersson, Jesper; Litoiu, Marin; Schmerl, Bradley; Tamura, Gabriel; Villegas, Norha M.; Vogel, Thomas; Weyns, Danny; Baresi, Luciano; Becker, Basil; Bencomo, Nelly; Brun, Yuriy; Cukic, Bojan; Desmarais, Ron; Dustdar, Schahram; Engels, Gregor; Geihs, Kurt; Göschka, Karl M.; Gorla, Alessandra; Grassi, Vincenzo; Inverardi, Paola; Karsai, Gabor; Kramer, Jeff; Lopes, Antónia; Magee, Jeff; Malek, Sam; Mankovskii, Serge; Mirandola, Raffaela; Mylopoulos, John; Nierstrasz, Oscar; Pezzè, Mauro; Prehofer, Christian; Schäfer, Wilhelm; Schlichting, Rick; Smith, Dennis B.; Sousa, João Pedro; Tahvildari, Ladan; Wong, Kenny; Wuttke, Jochen (2013). "Software Engineering for Self-Adaptive Systems: A Second Research Roadmap". Software Engineering for Self-Adaptive Systems II. Lecture Notes in Computer Science. Vol. 7475. pp. 1–32. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.300.3985. doi:10.1007/978-3-642-35813-5_1. ISBN 978-3-642-35812-8.
- ^ Gotel, O.C.Z.; Finkelstein, C.W. (1994). "An analysis of the requirements traceability problem". Proceedings of IEEE International Conference on Requirements Engineering. pp. 94–101. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.201.7137. doi:10.1109/ICRE.1994.292398. ISBN 978-0-8186-5480-0. S2CID 5870868.
- ^ Nathan, Stuart (15 March 2018). "Interview: Anthony Finkelstein, the government's chief scientific adviser for national security". The Engineer. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ "EPSRC ANNOUNCES NEW COUNCIL MEMBERS". Archived from the original on 29 October 2013.
- ^ "Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security: Anthony Finkelstein". UK Government. Retrieved 20 July 2018.
- ^ Finkelstein, A.; Kramer, J.; Nuseibeh, B.; Finkelstein, L.; Goedicke, M. (1992). "Viewpoints: A Framework for Integrating Multiple Perspectives in System Development". International Journal of Software Engineering and Knowledge Engineering. 02 (1): 31–57. CiteSeerX 10.1.1.45.6838. doi:10.1142/S0218194092000038. ISSN 0218-1940. S2CID 37921638.
- ^ "List of Fellows". Raeng.org.uk. Archived from the original on 8 June 2016. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "News releases – Royal Academy of Engineering". Raeng.org.uk. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "Exceptional scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society". Royal Society. 20 May 2025. Retrieved 22 May 2025.
- ^ "Recipients of the IET Achievement Medals". IET Scholarships and Awards. IET. Retrieved 25 April 2011.
- ^ "IFIP Newsletter" (in German). Ifip.org. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
- ^ "No. 61608". The London Gazette (Supplement). 11 June 2016. p. B9.
- ^ "No. 63571". The London Gazette (Supplement). 1 January 2022. p. N2.
- ^ a b "Mirjam Finkelstein, Holocaust educator, friend of Anne Frank and survivor of Bergen-Belsen, dies aged 83". The Jewish Chronicle. London. 30 January 2017. Retrieved 30 January 2017.
- ^ "Obituary – Professor Ludwik Finkelstein OBE FREng" (Press release). City University London. 6 September 2011. Archived from the original on 5 February 2013.
- ^ "Professor Ludwik Finkelstein". The Times. London. 2 September 2011. Retrieved 29 March 2016. (subscription required)
- ^ "JC Power 100: Numbers 50 – 11", The Jewish Chronicle, 10 September 2014
- ^ "Tamara Finkelstein". Government of the United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 20 October 2023. Retrieved 20 October 2023.
External links
[edit]Anthony Finkelstein
View on GrokipediaEarly life and education
Childhood and family background
Finkelstein was born in 1959 to Ludwik and Mirjam Finkelstein, a Jewish couple who had endured displacement and persecution during World War II. His father, Ludwik, was born on 6 December 1929 in Lwów (now Lviv, Ukraine), then part of Poland, into a Polish-speaking merchant family that owned a wholesale iron and steel business.[11][12] The family, part of Lwów's established intellectual Jewish community and adherents of the Haskalah enlightenment tradition, lost their wealth and many relatives to Soviet and Nazi actions; Ludwik and his mother were deported to Siberia by Soviet forces in 1941, surviving exile before reaching the United Kingdom as Polish refugees after the war.[13][14] His mother, Mirjam, born on 10 June 1933 in Berlin, survived internment in the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp as a child.[15] The couple settled in London, where Ludwik pursued engineering, drawing on pre-war German and Austrian technical traditions blended with Polish heritage, and eventually became a professor of measurement and instrumentation at City University, London, earning recognition as a founder of the institution and a world authority in his field.[16][14] Finkelstein grew up in this environment of postwar adaptation and academic emphasis, alongside siblings Daniel and Tamara, with his parents' experiences of surviving both Nazi and Soviet threats instilling a family narrative of resilience and intellectual discipline.[17] Ludwik's career trajectory from refugee to esteemed engineer underscored the practical value of technical education, shaping the household's priorities amid their assimilated Jewish identity in the UK.[13]Academic training
Anthony Finkelstein earned a Bachelor of Engineering degree in manufacturing systems engineering.[18] He then pursued graduate studies, obtaining a Master of Science in systems analysis.[18] This degree was awarded by the London School of Economics.[19] Finkelstein completed his doctorate at the Royal College of Art, receiving a PhD in engineering design in 1985.[20][21] His dissertation focused on the application of information systems analysis to engineering design.[20] These qualifications established a foundation in systems engineering that informed his subsequent research in software systems and complex engineering processes.[3]Academic and research career
Positions at University College London
Finkelstein was appointed Professor of Software Systems Engineering in the Department of Computer Science at University College London in 1997, following prior roles at City University London and Imperial College London.[22][23] He retained this chair throughout his subsequent leadership positions at the institution and into his government service.[4][8] From 2002 to 2010, Finkelstein served as Head of the UCL Department of Computer Science, overseeing academic programs, research initiatives, and departmental expansion in areas such as software engineering and systems interoperability.[5] In this role, he emphasized practical applications of computing research, including support for entrepreneurial projects through UCL Business.[24][25] In 2010, he was appointed Dean of the UCL Faculty of Engineering Sciences, becoming also Senior Dean of the broader UCL School of Engineering, Mathematics, Physical Sciences and the Built Environment.[23] He held the deanship until December 2015, when he assumed the role of Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, while continuing to hold his UCL chair and affiliating with the Alan Turing Institute for research in software systems and defense-related technologies.[4][26]Research in software systems engineering
Finkelstein's research in software systems engineering emphasizes the development and management of large-scale, complex software-intensive systems, integrating principles from systems engineering to address challenges in specification, process design, and deployment.[27] As Professor of Software Systems Engineering at University College London since the early 2000s, he has explored methodologies for handling the inherent uncertainties and interdependencies in such systems, including formal specification techniques and process modeling to improve reliability and scalability.[28] His approach prioritizes empirical validation through tool support and environment integration, aiming to bridge theoretical models with practical engineering outcomes in domains like biomedical computing and critical infrastructure.[29] Key contributions include advancements in software development processes, where Finkelstein has analyzed critical limitations in process modeling, advocating for adaptive frameworks that account for evolving requirements and stakeholder dynamics.[30] In collaboration with Jeff Kramer, he outlined a comprehensive roadmap for software engineering in 2000, identifying core research challenges such as scalability, quality assurance, and the integration of automated tools, which has influenced subsequent disciplinary directions. This work underscores the need for interdisciplinary methods drawing from systems engineering to mitigate risks in high-stakes applications, supported by over 200 publications amassing more than 11,000 citations as of recent metrics.[30] Finkelstein has translated research into practice via three university spin-out companies established in the 2000s and 2010s, focusing on professional services, product software, and cloud-based software delivery models, which demonstrate the commercial viability of his process-oriented innovations.[9] These efforts earned him University College London's Entrepreneurial Spirit award in recognition of effective knowledge transfer from academic research to industry.[31] His ongoing work at institutions like the Alan Turing Institute extends these principles to defense and security contexts, emphasizing robust engineering for software systems under adversarial conditions.[2]Contributions to requirements engineering and complex systems
Finkelstein's research in requirements engineering emphasizes traceability, viewpoints, and the integration of requirements with architectural design and risk analysis. With Orlena Gotel, he developed the concept of contribution structures to represent the rationale, dependencies, and evolution of requirements artifacts, addressing gaps in traditional traceability by modeling how individual contributions aggregate into system requirements.[29] Their seminal 1995 paper on this framework, presented at the IEEE International Symposium on Requirements Engineering, earned the ICSE Most Influential Paper Award for its long-term impact on the field a decade later.[3] Finkelstein co-authored influential roadmaps, including "Requirements Engineering: A Roadmap" at ICSE 2000, which synthesized challenges in elicitation, specification, validation, and management, advocating for multi-perspective approaches to handle stakeholder conflicts.[32] He also contributed to infrastructure for requirements research coordination, such as through the RENOIR network, fostering international collaboration on empirical studies and tool support.[33] In parallel, Finkelstein advanced requirements engineering for self-adaptive and requirements-aware systems, exploring how runtime adaptation can incorporate evolving requirements to manage uncertainty in dynamic environments.[29] His work integrates requirements analysis with engineering management, including goal-driven approaches for commercial off-the-shelf (COTS) decision-making, where requirements are prioritized against vendor constraints and risks.[34] These contributions earned him recognition from IEEE and ACM for advancing the discipline, alongside an ICSE special contribution award.[3][9] Finkelstein's efforts in complex systems engineering focus on methods, tools, and processes for developing large-scale software-intensive systems, drawing from his systems engineering background (BEng, MSc, PhD). His PhD research applied information systems analysis to complex system design, laying groundwork for handling interdependence and emergence in software architectures.[7] He has emphasized practical validation through industry case studies, securing over £35 million in funding for projects addressing software evolution, configuration management, and environment support in domains like biomedical computing.[3] Finkelstein's publications, exceeding 250, including over 20,000 Google Scholar citations, underscore impacts on specification techniques for complex, adaptive systems, such as viewpoint-oriented modeling to reconcile diverse stakeholder needs.[29] This body of work bridges requirements engineering with broader systems challenges, promoting rigorous analysis over ad-hoc practices.[22]Government and national security roles
Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security
Anthony Finkelstein served as Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security to HM Government from December 2015 to June 2021.[4] In this senior strategic and operational role, he led science, research, and innovation efforts across the UK's national security community, advising on technology applications excluding weaponry and collaborating with entities such as the Ministry of Defence, Home Office, and police.[8][35] His work focused on addressing security challenges posed by adversaries, managing a national security research program, and integrating scientific insights into defense and public safety strategies.[7][35] Finkelstein emphasized leveraging open science and global innovation communities to counter rapid technological advancements by agile adversaries, arguing that the UK must exploit external expertise to maintain pace in a globalized research environment.[35] Key initiatives under his guidance included promoting privacy-enhancing technologies, such as statistical disclosure control and homomorphic encryption, to balance security needs with data protection.[35] He also launched a postdoctoral program in partnership with the Royal Academy of Engineering to bolster domestic research capacity in national security domains.[35] Notable contributions encompassed advancements in behavioral science for securing public spaces and vehicle ramming mitigation technologies, including bollards, which enhanced physical countermeasures against terrorist threats.[35] Finkelstein conceived the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF), a secretive mechanism to fund intelligence and security innovations, linking agencies like GCHQ, MI5, and MI6 with private investment for strategic technology development.[36] Throughout his tenure, he retained his academic chair at University College London and affiliation with the Alan Turing Institute, ensuring continuity in research on complex systems relevant to security applications.[4]Advisory work on defense and technology policy
Following his tenure as Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security, Finkelstein has maintained several advisory roles in UK government bodies focused on technology policy, research security, and defense-related innovation. He chairs the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT) Advisory Board on Research Security, which addresses vulnerabilities in academic and research environments to foreign interference and safeguards intellectual property in sensitive technologies.[1] As a member of the UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) Council, he contributes to strategic oversight of publicly funded research, including priorities for national security applications in science and engineering.[37] Additionally, he chairs the Police Science Council, advising on the integration of advanced technologies such as data analytics and AI into law enforcement practices to enhance operational effectiveness against security threats.[38] Finkelstein played a key role in establishing the National Security Strategic Investment Fund (NSSIF) during his time as Chief Scientific Adviser, a £200 million initiative launched in 2019 to finance startups developing technologies for intelligence agencies including GCHQ, MI5, and MI6, with investments targeting areas like cybersecurity and signals intelligence.[36] The fund, which expanded its scope in 2025 to support broader defense innovation, reflects his emphasis on leveraging private-sector venture capital models for state security needs, ensuring rapid adoption of dual-use technologies.[36] Through these positions, Finkelstein advises on bridging gaps between academia, industry, and government in defense technology, including risk assessments for emerging threats like quantum computing and supply chain dependencies, while prioritizing empirical evaluations of technological superiority for national resilience.[8]Leadership in higher education
Dean and head roles at UCL
Finkelstein served as Head of the Department of Computer Science at University College London (UCL) from 2002 to 2010.[23][5] During this period, the department had recently integrated into the newly formed Faculty of Engineering Sciences in 2002, following its prior affiliation with the Faculty of Mathematics and Physical Sciences.[39] In December 2009, UCL announced Finkelstein's appointment as Dean of the Faculty of Engineering Sciences, effective from 1 September 2010.[40] He held this position until 2015, overseeing a faculty that encompassed departments including computer science, biochemical engineering, and mechanical engineering.[3][4] Under his deanship, the faculty engaged in outreach initiatives, such as collaborative masterclasses with the Royal Institution to demonstrate engineering applications in life-saving technologies for young Londoners.[41]Presidency of City St George's, University of London
Professor Sir Anthony Finkelstein was appointed President of City, University of London in June 2021, succeeding as the leader following his prior roles in academia and government.[42] In this capacity, he oversaw the strategic direction of the institution, which emphasized professional education and research aligned with employer needs.[7] Under his leadership, City pursued a merger with St George's, University of London, signing the agreement on February 22, 2024, to combine strengths in business, law, and social sciences with expertise in health and medical sciences.[43] The merger took effect on August 1, 2024, establishing City St George's, University of London as a multi-faculty constituent college of the University of London, with Finkelstein serving as its inaugural President.[44] This integration created an institution serving over 20,000 students across campuses in central London and Tooting, enhancing capabilities in professional training and research impact.[45] Finkelstein prioritized people in the merger process, focusing on staff integration and operational alignment to avoid disruptions while fostering a unified culture.[46] The combined entity launched a new brand identity in March 2025, underscoring ambitions to become a "higher education powerhouse" in London through expanded health sciences, including a new integrated School of Health & Medical Sciences.[47] Finkelstein's vision for City St George's centers on delivering education and research deeply connected to professional demands, with a strategic plan (2022-30) emphasizing employability and societal impact.[42] The university achieved recognition as London's top performer for improving undergraduate life chances in early 2025.[48] He has advocated for digital transformation, building coalitions for technological adoption in higher education.[49] In public addresses, such as the 2025 Franklin Lecture on digital change, he highlighted entrepreneurial lessons and the need for financial realism amid policy challenges.[50] During his presidency, Finkelstein addressed campus security issues, notably in October 2025 when masked protesters disrupted a lecture by Israeli economics professor Michael Ben-Gad; the university issued a statement affirming full support for the academic and zero tolerance for antisemitic harassment.[51] This stance aligned with broader commitments to academic freedom amid threats. His leadership garnered personal honors, including election as a Fellow of the Royal Society on May 20, 2025, recognizing contributions across disciplines.[1]
Public positions and controversies
Views on national security and technological risks
Finkelstein defines national security broadly as the defense of UK democracy, its citizens, and allies against a spectrum of threats, including technological and economic vulnerabilities beyond traditional military concerns.[18] In this context, he stresses science and technology's pivotal role in providing strategic insight for policy, advocating a systems-thinking framework to address interconnected risks in policy and resilience.[52] During his tenure as Chief Scientific Adviser for National Security from December 2015 to June 2021, he focused on integrating scientific expertise into decisions amid rapid geopolitical and technological shifts, particularly the eastward pivot in global power dynamics.[4][53] A core concern is the erosion of the UK's technological edge, which Finkelstein warns could enable adversaries to apply superior capabilities—such as advanced AI, robotics, drone systems, quantum computing, and data-driven surveillance—directly against national interests, posing "serious risk" to security and prosperity.[53] He views intelligence and espionage as increasingly technology-dependent, with tools like simulated environments and encrypted communications essential for outpacing foes, yet vulnerable to countermeasures in smart cities and cyber domains.[53] Universities, in his assessment, form part of the nation's power in this geopolitical contest, requiring innovation and risk-taking to sustain competitive advantage in science and technology, while navigating threats from foreign influences like constrained partnerships with entities in China.[54] Finkelstein identifies multiple technological risks amplifying national vulnerabilities, particularly in cybersecurity and supply chains. In a 2025 analysis, he outlined ten key risks, emphasizing the shift from inadvertent threats to deliberate nation-state actions:- Complex digital supply chains fostering undue dependencies.
- Geopolitical constraints on technology flows, including sanctions and data localization.
- Disruptions to data economies from regulation and tech shifts.
- Escalating high-end cyber adversaries targeting private sectors.
- Inherent fragility in AI and machine learning systems to errors and adversarial manipulations.
- Amplified social engineering via behavioral data insights.
- Overlooked technical tradecraft, such as audio and video intelligence exploits.
- Exposures in open-source software from unverified contributors.
- Compromised security infrastructures eroding trust mechanisms.
- Organizational knowledge gaps amid accelerating tech changes.[55]

