A tribute to Professor Rees Rawlings

Excerpt

Rees Rawlings was one of the many talented undergraduates who read Metallurgy at Imperial College in the 1960s, when the Department was experiencing one of its halcyon periods under the leadership of Professor Geoffrey Ball. Graduating in 1964 with a First Class Honours degree, Rees proceeded to a PhD, but remarkably, was appointed to a Lectureship in the Department of Metallurgy in 1966, before completing his thesis, on the basis of his outstanding promise. This proved a far-sighted decision, as from that time until the present, Rees has served the Department (now of Materials) and the College with distinction, progressing from Lecturer to Reader, and then to Professor of Materials Science, while as Dean of the Royal School of Mines and, since 1999, as Pro Provost, he has also performed formidable administration roles. …