Submitted by Elena Gonzalez on Mon, 10/10/2022 - 12:40
CEB hosted the Davidson Symposium, a celebration of the long life and notable achievements of the late Emeritus Professor John Davidson on Friday 23 September 2022.
John Davidson, the ‘Father of Fluidisation’ and former Head of Department of Chemical Engineering at Cambridge and IChemE President, died on Christmas Day 2019. JFD, as he was known in CEB circles, had pioneered research work on fluidised beds spanning several decades. He was internationally renowned and he was held in high esteem by many of those he came into contact with in industry and academia, and highly appreciated by his colleagues in CEB. John himself initially 'masterminded' our merger with biotechnology, which eventually led to the creation of the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology in 2008.
The Symposium, initially scheduled for May 2020 and put on hold due to covid, was a fantastic occasion for alumni, former Faculty and colleagues, department academics and researchers to reconnect. There were also senior academics from other Universities and captains of industry in attendance. Some of his own former PhD students had travelled far and wide, not only from the UK, but also from the Netherlands, Singapore and even China. They gathered to celebrate John’s legacy and outstanding achievements as well as the past, present, and future of the chemical engineering discipline.
Sir David Harrison, former CEB Faculty member and long-time friend of John, kicked off the proceedings with a personal account of the past memories including accounts of joint academic travel adventures and book publications.
The morning presentations focused on the family perspective and personal aspects of John’s life with his daughter Isabel Letwin talking about JFD’s life beyond the bubbles as a father and grandfather. His son Peter Davidson presented an overview of his industrial impact and perspectives on the future of the subject, specially highlighting his father’s role in the Inquiry carried out following the Flixborough disaster and the process safety lessons learned since.
Several accounts of ‘JFD inspiration’ and influences on the work of others were given: Professor Allan Hayhurst on fluidised combustion, Professor Keshavan Niranjan on bubbles in food and drink, and Professor Dame Lynn Gladden on MRI of fluidisation and bubbly flows.
The afternoon celebrated the modern face and evolution of chemical engineering and biotechnology, with our own academics presenting key department research topics like energy, chemical looping for green chemicals, as well as combining optical and engineering approaches for the study of neurodegeneration.
Professor John Dennis talked about how JFD's vision connected with CEB's future and Nigel Hirst, Deputy President of the Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) gave an address on the shared values between CEB and the IChemE. Overall, the event prse a good overview of the discipline evolution adapting to tackle the greatest global challenges in energy and environment, sustainability and healthcare. Deputy Head of Research, Professor Róisín Owens and Chair of the Scientific Organisation Committee that put together the Symposium programme remarked; “It was inspiring to see how John Davidson’ vision for chemical engineering and biotechnology is still valid today. His ideas on the importance of informal discussions in the tea room as well as the two-way learning between students and academics remain a core part of the department’s philosophy to facilitate creative research to solve major world challenges.”
At the Symposium, former colleagues also highlighted the impact and influence their earlier interactions with John had had on their personal lives and the course of their individual professional careers and practice.
Marcus Clover, a recent graduate who worked with JFD on a research project, shared his insights after the event; “It was a moving and inspiring event. All day I marvelled at the scale of the impact John had on society, in everything from energy to cappuccinos, but also the impact he had on others. It was a pleasure to speak on my connection to him and the impact he has had on my work.”
Find out more about our research areas of expertise, current exciting projects and their real life applications with a positive impact on society, economy, and the environment. You could also support the researchers and/or help safeguard the education of the future chemical engineers and scientists get in contact with Victoria Thompson in the University Development Office.
A video recording of the symposium presentations is now available on our YouTube channel.