• John Ward: An appreciation

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      espadmin

John Ward, Emeritus Professor of Energy Technology at the University of Glamorgan has died after an illness which first became apparent when he collapsed at the 2011 INFUB Meeting, an annual meeting which he helped organise for many years.

John had a long career in academia and industry in the UK and the USA, working for what became British Steel at Port Talbot, travelling to Washington on the Queen Mary to work during the period of JFK and returning to the UK to work in Cranfield University, the Open University and latterly at the University of Glamorgan.  He was an exponent of a range of heat transfer and thermo-fluid modelling approaches which were appropriate to industrial users, and he spent most of his 50 years as a practising heat transfer specialist teaching what he had put into practice to undergraduates, PhD students and industry engineers.

His lifetime in the heat transfer business led to over 140 publications as well as numerous conference presentations and courses, including modelling modules for IFRF Industrial Combustion courses.  His work was recognised by his inclusion on editorial boards and governing boards of Professional Bodies as well as through the award of the David Gunn Memorial Medal for Services to Combustion Engineering by the UK Combustion Engineering Association in 2002.  His wise and unassuming character made him many friends throughout the combustion field.  He will be greatly missed.

Personal appreciation from Steve Wilcox, University of Glamorgan

I was recruited by John shortly after completing my PhD in 1993 and over the subsequent years John was responsible for supporting the development of my career within the University.  He was an excellent mentor both as my Head of Department and subsequently as a friend where we worked on many research projects with colleagues across Europe. He was always someone I could turn to for advice and life will be all the poorer without him.

Personal appreciation by Neil Fricker, IFRF Superintendent of Research

I had the privilege and pleasure to work with John over many years, initially through his support of the Industrial Utilisation activities of British Gas Midlands Research Station, and latterly as colleagues within the University of Glamorgan’s Faculty of Advanced Technology.  Here, with John’s encouragement, I became a Visiting Professor of Combustion Technology while he, after the shortest possible ‘retirement’ break, took up the role of Emeritus Professor of ENERGY Technology. Throughout that time, John remained a calm and wise councillor and friend whenever my excitable flights of fancy took off in crazy directions. I shall sorely miss him.