H/02/02/02 eSenate: January 2012 The University of Edinburgh ...

Special Minute
Professor William J Easson, BSc, PhD, CEng, FIMechE
William (Bill) Easson was born on the 10 th March, 1954. He graduated in Mathematical
Physics from the University of Edinburgh in 1976. After 3 years as a school teacher in Fife,
he returned to Edinburgh as a Research Associate working on offshore wave mechanics at
the height of the North Sea oil boom. In addition to studying the fundamentals of the flow in
waves, he also undertook a wide range of studies for oil companies and the Health and
Safety Executive and regularly chaired sessions of the International Society of Offshore and
Polar Engineers.
He was appointed as a lecturer in Fluid Mechanics at the University of Edinburgh in 1987,
when he led the Mechanical Engineering Fluids Group and developed an interest in twophase
flows with particular reference to particulate transport in coal­fired power stations.
Working closely with several companies, he developed methods that improve the efficiency
of plant and reduce NOx output. He became academic representative on the UK Coal
Research Forum and joined the organising committees for several international conferences,
notably expanding the UK CRF meeting to become a European conference and hosting its
first meeting in Edinburgh. During this period he also managed a start­up company, Optical
Flow Systems, selling advanced laser flow measuring techniques to industrial and academic
research laboratories.
In 2001 his work took another twist and after the unexpected departure of a colleague, he
took over the engineering aspects of a Biomedical Engineering grant collaborating with the
School of Medicine. This was a major award, modelling and measuring blood flow in human
arteries to provide an integrated approach to imaging and disease diagnosis. His work in
this field continues. He was founding Secretary of the UK Society of Bioengineering from
2008­2011.
In 1997 he became Head of the Department of Mechanical Engineering and was Head of the
Institute for Materials and Processes, in the School of Engineering, from 2003­2009. He has
served on numerous School, College and University committees. He was appointed
Professor of Fluid Mechanics in 2002 and elected a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical
Engineers in 2006.
Bill has therefore contributed strongly and with commitment to every aspect of the life of his
Department, then Institute and School. His scientific/engineering skills and deceptively
humorous approach to academic life has endeared him to colleagues and students alike.
In addition to continuing his research, Professor Easson is now devoting more time to the
challenging task of improving his golf and spending time at his holiday home in Spain, with
his wife, Rosalind.