A former Keighley man, now a high-level scientist with software giant Microsoft, has been included in Who’s Who.

Stephen Emmott makes his debut in this year’s edition of the famous directory of notable names. He is among 1,000 new entries in the £200 book, including Simon Cowell, from TV’s The X Factor.

Mr Emmott, son of James and Sandra Emmott, was born in Keighley in 1960 and grew up in Guard House.

Following degree studies at the universities of York and Stirling, he went on to hold a series of prestigious science posts.

He is currently head of computational science for Microsoft Research, in Cambridge, as well as holding an academic post at Oxford University.

In the 1990s he worked for AT & T Bell Laboratories, in the USA, and was founder, director and chief scientist at the renowned Advanced Research Lab of NCR Corp.

Mr Emmott holds several patents on science and technology and is a member of the Chancellor of the Exchequer’s science and innovation framework committee.

He advises the UK Engineering and Physical Sciences Research Council and the Swiss National Science Foundation and has been an advisor to the World Trade Organisation.

In Who’s Who, Mr Emmott lists his recreations as cooking, reading, music and travel.

Like the other 33,000 people in Who’s Who, he will remain in the book until his death, when his entry will be transferred to Who Was Who.

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