David Eaglesham – A Remarkable Figure in Education

David Eaglesham was a remarkable leader who guided Scotland’s Secondary Teachers Association through remarkable change with enthusiasm and drive. During his 12 years as General Secretary, the union achieved remarkable successes and increased its national profile.

Eaglesham recently retired as Chief Technology Officer of First Solar after six years with the company. During his tenure, his R&D team achieved multiple world records for cadmium-telluride cell and module efficiency.

Early Life and Education

David Eaglesham was always willing to contribute his time to school activities. He helped out with rugby teams on Saturday mornings and organized exchange trips to Germany and Holland. Furthermore, David enjoyed performing music professionally.

David Eaglesham enjoyed a high level of popularity among both staff and students alike. His sense of humour was infectious, making work an enjoyable experience for him.

He then rose to become General Secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA), leading it through a period of unprecedented change with enthusiasm and skill.

Professional Career

Eaglesham has had a storied career, holding key positions in some of the clean energy sector’s most successful companies. Most recently, he served as Chief Technology Officer at First Solar (Nasdaq: FSLR), an industry leader in thin film photovoltaic cell manufacturing.

He is also an entrepreneur-in-residence at Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures climate investment fund, which seeks to develop energy technologies that help meet global electricity demands while cutting carbon emissions and improving quality of life worldwide. One such startup on their roster is Cambridge battery technology company Pellion; they’re creating magnesium-based batteries safer than lithium ions while being more energy dense than traditional lead acid models.

Achievement and Honors

Eaglesham has dedicated his career to materials science, creating technologies that address some of the world’s greatest energy challenges. Currently, he serves as Entrepreneur-in-Residence at Breakthrough Energy Ventures, investing in technologies that will allow us to enjoy a high standard of living without contributing to climate change.

He has earned several prestigious awards, such as being named to the New Year’s Honours list for his work at Pellion Technologies which commercialized a 1,000Wh/l next-generation battery. Other distinctions include receiving a doctorate from the University of Bristol and holding management positions at Bell Labs, Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory, and Applied Materials.

Personal Life

David Eaglesham is a legendary figure in education. He’s renowned for his dedication and commitment to his work.

He served as General Secretary of the Scottish Secondary Teachers Association (SSTA) for 12 years from 1996 until 2008, an office he held until his passing on Friday after a lengthy illness.

Under Mr Eaglesham’s leadership as General Secretary of the SSTA, he made tremendous efforts to enhance its international standing and expand membership. A dedicated and fair negotiator, Mr Eaglesham put teachers’ needs before anything else.

He also strived to establish relationships with teachers abroad, organizing school trips to Holland and Germany that resulted in life-long friendships between people from these nations.

Net Worth

David Eaglesham was previously the Chief Technology Officer for First Solar, where he spent six years pioneering innovation from the lab to market. Before joining the company, he held senior leadership roles at Lawrence Livermore National Laboratory and Applied Materials. Furthermore, he earned a PhD in physics from the University of Bristol.

He recently co-founded Electric Hydrogen with fellow climate executives Dorian West and Derek Warnick, to develop the electrolyzer – an essential element in producing green hydrogen at cheap costs. Eaglesham and Garabedian met through Bill Gates’ Breakthrough Energy Ventures residency where he studied the problem of cheap hydrogen production. Now his team at Electric Hydrogen is working on perfecting this technology; his estimated net worth is $5 million.