The Global Goals
In 2015, UN member states agreed to 17 global to end poverty, protect the planet and ensure prosperity for all. Neil's work contributes towards the following SDG(s):
About Neil
I have been Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Â鶹´«Ã½ since 1996 and my research interests lie in design for structural integrity, covering the fields of fatigue and fracture, residual stresses, fatigue life prediction and welded joints. I have variously been Dean of Technology (6½ years), Pro-Vice Chancellor (15 months) and Head of the School of Marine Science & Engineering/Associate Dean (6½ years).
I was educated at Allan Wilson Technical High School, Harare, Zimbabwe, hold a BSc(Eng) degree in Mechanical Engineering (Cum Laude 1976) from the University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg; a PhD (1984) in Metallurgy and Materials Science from the University of Cambridge, England; a DTech (Honoris Causa - 2003) from Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, South Africa, and a DSc(Eng) (2005) from University of the Witwatersrand, Johannesburg.
Awards include the 2020 Robert Moskovic award from Technical Committee TC12 of the European Structural Integrity Society (one of 3 such awards in 2020) in “recognition of an outstanding contribution to Fatigue and Fracture of Structural Alloys and Materialsâ€; the Coffin-Manson medal in 2019 awarded by the Italian Fracture Group in “recognition of the research work done throughout his academic career to understand and model the fatigue behaviour of metallic materials and welded jointsâ€, and the Silver Medal of the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering in 1986.
I have held, or hold, Visiting or Honorary Professorial appointments at Sheffield-Hallam University, Southwest Jiaotong University, Chengdu, China, Nelson Mandela Metropolitan University, Port Elizabeth, South Africa and the University of Ferrara, Italy.
From 1998 until 2020, I was Co-Editor (Europe, Middle East and Africa) of the International Journal of Fatigue (impact factor in 2019 of 4.369 and ranked 16/130 in Mechanical Engineering by Clarivate Analytics), am an Editorial Board member of Engineering Failure Analysis (Elsevier Science), and Frattura ed Integrità Strutturale - the International Journal of the Italian Fracture Group; have previously been on the Editorial Board of the ICE journal Forensic Engineering .
I have authored/co-authored more than 180 research publications in refereed International Journals and Conference Proceedings. I have given numerous invited Plenary or Keynote lectures at International Conferences. In 2008 I was invited to be the John Orr Memorial Lecturer for the South African Institution of Mechanical Engineering. This prestigious lecture is intended to celebrate the achievements and contribution of Professor John Orr OBE, Hon. LLD (1870-1954) to engineering and engineering education in South Africa. My chosen topic was ‘Reliable Products and Structures’.  I am an Honorary Member of the Gruppo Italiano Frattura (Italian Fracture Group) in recognition of “outstanding achievements in the research fields of Material Science, Fracture Mechanics and Structural Integrityâ€.