Professor awarded for lifetime achievements with top award
Tue, 07 Jul 2015 14:44:00 BST
Professor John Colligon will receive the British Vacuum Council’s Senior Prize for 2015 and the John Yarwood Medal
PROFESSOR John Colligon’s long research career – which has now brought him to the University of Huddersfield – has seen him closely involved in the development and application of surface coatings, an area of study that has led to huge increases in the performance and effectiveness of products that range from machine tools and electronic components to aero engines and replacement hip joints. One key aspect of his work – the use of vacuum to deposit coatings cleanly and effectively – has earned him a new award.
The British Vacuum Council has announced that its Senior Prize for 2015 has been awarded to Professor Colligon. He also receives the John Yarwood Medal, named in honour of a professor who was an eminent figure in the field of vacuum physics.
In 1981, Professor Colligon succeeded Professor Yarwood as editor of the scientific journal VACUUM and he is now its Special Issues Editor. His many international engagements include three terms as Secretary General of the International Union for Vacuum Science, Technique and Applications (IUVSTA).
Professor Colligon joined the University of Huddersfield in 2014 and brought with him his Surface Coating and Analysis research team, which focuses on areas such as vacuum deposition of novel coatings and the use of ion bombardment.
The team – which attracts high levels of external funding – works in a field that is of burgeoning importance in a vast range of industrial areas. Professor Colligon has witnessed and contributed to its rise since the early 1960s, when he completed a PhD that revolved around ion bombardment. In 1968, he was co-author of the first major text on ion-surface interactions. Today, the technique known as ion implantation is vital in the production of electronic devices.
At the start of his career, Professor Colligon worked in the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough, researching the damage caused to the surfaces of satellites by collision with gases in the near-earth rarefied atmosphere. Then he entered the university sector and has since carried out extensive research in surface coatings, materials characterisation and ion-surface interactions. His awards have included a Royal Society Industrial Fellowship. He was also made a Fellow of the American Vacuum Society in 1998 in recognition for his work in thin film deposition.
His latest honour – the British Vacuum Council award – means that Professor Colligon will be invited to deliver the BVC Annual Address at one of the organisation’s events later in the year.
