The Editorial Board of the IFRF’s online Journal has been strengthened by the addition of former IFRF President Tom Lowes.  Dr Lowes was the Head of the IFRF’s Research Station in the early 1970s, after which he had a long and successful career in the cement industry. He chaired the British Flame Research Committee for a number of years before taking on the position of IFRF Honorary President in the 1990s, a period which saw the emergence of several new IFRF initiatives including the creation of IFRF.NET, the IFRF’s on-line presence. Tom was also the driving force behind the creation of the IFRF’s CEMFLAME consortium, and acted as its Chairman. CEMFLAME was able to fund a number of IFRF Research Trials directed at the specific needs of the cement industry, reports of which can be identified on the IFRF’s on-line document archive .

Tom continues to deploy his expertise on combustion and cement manufacture on a freelance basis, and as a Principal Consultant to the UK based CINAR engineering design organisation. He was the keynote speaker at TOTeM 33, Challenges in Rotary Kiln Combustion Processes, held in Pisa in January 2009.

Tom’s appointment is the first of a number of new initiatives for the IFRF Journal which will be announced in the coming weeks.