Spouse Anne Beatrice Mason Name John Williams | ||
Born Shon Ffowcs Williams
May 25, 1935 (age 88) ( 1935-05-25 ) Institutions University of Cambridge
University of Southampton
Rolls-Royce plc
Emmanuel College, Cambridge Thesis On noise from convected turbulence (1961) Notable awards Royal Academy of Engineering Institution University of Cambridge, University of Southampton, Rolls-Royce Holdings, Emmanuel College, Cambridge Doctoral students David Crighton, Steve Furber | ||
Alma mater University of Southampton | ||
John "Shôn" Eirwyn Ffowcs Williams, FREng (born 25 May 1935) is Emeritus Rank Professor of Engineering at the University of Cambridge and a former Master of Emmanuel College, Cambridge (1996–2002). He may be best known for his contributions to Aeroacoustics, in particular for his work on Concorde. Together with one of his students, David Hawkings, he introduced the far-field integration method in computational aeroacoustics based on Lighthill's acoustic analogy, known as the Ffowcs Williams-Hawkings analogy.
Contents
Education and early life
Born in Wales in 1935, Williams was educated at the Great Ayton Friends' School and Derby Technical College (now part of the University of Derby). He served an engineering apprenticeship with Rolls-Royce before going to the University of Southampton, he always maintained a strong commitment to bring academic research to bear on industrial problems. He was awarded Bachelor of Science, PhD, Honorary Doctor of Science (DSc) from the University of Southampton and Master of Arts and Doctor of Science (ScD) degrees from the University of Cambridge.
Career and research
He cofounded Topexpress Ltd, a consultancy company in Cambridge specialising in engineering science, was executive consultant to Rolls Royce and a director of VSEL plc. For 25 years he led the division in which The University Cambridge's Fluid Mechanics, Aeronautics, Thermodynamics, and Turbomachinery work is concentrated.
He was admitted to his Professorial Fellowship at Emmanuel in 1973; he was the longest-serving professor in the University when he retired from his chair in 2002. He taught engineering for the College but, before becoming Master his main College contribution was serving on the Governing Body and its committees. He was the first holder of the Rank Chair of engineering established in 1972 in the field of Acoustics, coming to Cambridge from Imperial College London, where he held the Rolls-Royce Chair in theoretical Acoustics. His speciality was noise and vibration caused by unsteady flow. His main achievement was to persuade very good research students to tackle important but interesting problems which ranged from the aeroacoustics of supersonic flight, to the quietening of underwater platforms. His work helped make anti-sound useful for noise control and for stabilising unstable aeromechanical systems.
His doctoral students include David Crighton, Steve Furber and David Hawkings.