Professor Duncan Dowson has passed away

date: 07.01.2020

This is a great loss to all of us in the Tribology field.

On January 6th 2020, we received the sad message that Professor Duncan Dowson had passed away. Professor Dowson was one of the pioneers in the field of Tribology. Together with Professor Higginson he developed the theory of elastohydrodynamic lubrication, which is applied today in the design of rolling bearings and other concentrated lubricated contacts in all kinds of machinery worldwide. He documented the history of Tribology from the ancient times to modern society in a large volume used frequently by Tribology scholars. Professor Dowson was exceptionally productive in his research and published a great number of scientific articles and books on many aspects of Tribology, such as Biotribology. He initiated and hosted Tribology conferences, was a frequent plenary and invited speaker and supported and inspired teachers for the younger generation. He received several national and international awards, among them the Tribology Gold Medal in 1979. He will be remembered as one of the greatest tribologists, an eminent scientist and a visionary engineer of our time.

An obituary was also written by Professor Christopher Taylor: Obituary for Duncan Dowson