Professor Ian Taylor awarded 2020 Tribology Silver Medal from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers
A University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) visiting professor has been bestowed with a prestigious award from the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (IMechE).
Ian Taylor, a visiting professor in UCLan’s Jost Institute for Tribotechnology, has received the 2020 Tribology Silver Medal from the IMechE for his “exceptionally meritorious contribution to the science and technology of tribolology.”
Tribology is the study of lubrication, friction, and wear and The Silver Medal is regarded as the UK’s premier award for this field of engineering.
Professor Taylor spent most of his 33-year industry career at the Shell Research Centre where he was responsible for developing computer-based simulations to enable friction and wear reductions in car, truck, and bus engines. His research enabled Shell scientists to develop lubricants that could improve engine efficiency whilst still protecting the engine against excessive wear.
"I’m greatly honoured by the award of the Silver Medal for Tribology by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. Over many years I have worked with colleagues in Shell and with students from many different universities around the world in tribology. I hope to share that experience in teaching and research through my recent appointment as a Visiting Professor at UCLan."
— UCLan Visiting Professor Ian Taylor
Professor Taylor is now using this wealth of experience at UCLan to seek funding for an initiative to create teaching materials for schools and resources for use by the general public with the aim of helping them to gain a better understanding of the science of friction and wear and its critical importance to us all in daily life.
He said: “I’m greatly honoured by the award of the Silver Medal for Tribology by the Institution of Mechanical Engineering. Over many years I have worked with colleagues in Shell and with students from many different universities around the world in tribology. I hope to share that experience in teaching and research through my recent appointment as a Visiting Professor at UCLan.”
The Silver Medal will be awarded later in 2020 or early in 2021, depending on Covid regulations, and is expected to be presented by the IMechE President, Terry Spall, who is also a graduate from the School of Engineering at UCLan.