The MPIF reports that Alan Lawley, Emeritus Professor, Drexel University, died on 17 October at the age of 84. A long-time friend and supporter of PM technology and the industry, Lawley made significant contributions to research and development in PM and particulate materials, the organization says.
Lawley received a degree in physical metallurgy and a PhD in metallurgy degrees from the University of Birmingham in the UK. He worked at the University of Pennsylvania’s School of Metallurgical Engineering (post-doctoral fellow) and at the Franklin Institute’s Solid State Research Laboratory. He joined Drexel University in 1968 where he initiated a PM program, and over the years his PM teachings, research and consulting activities impacted the academic world, industry companies and national laboratories as well as federal government and state agencies. While at Drexel, he was appointed department head/materials engineering and the AW Grosvenor Professor of Metallurgy. Hoeganaes Corporation, Cinnaminson, New Jersey, endowed aprofessorship in PM at Drexel where two dedicated PM laboratories were established.
Lawley published over 300 articles in archival journals, conference proceedings, and books, more than 200 of which embrace PM and particulate materials.
Achievement award
He was named Editor-in-Chief of APMI International’s International Journal of Powder Metallurgy in 1985 and served in this capacity until 2015. Alan was co-chairman of the 1993 International Conference on Powder Metallurgy & Particulate Materials (Nashville), co-chaired the MPIF/APMI PM2008 World Congress (Washington, DC) and was a long-time member of the MPIF Technical Board. A recipient of numerous professional and societal awards, Lawley was among the first class of Fellows of APMI International (1998). Additionally, he served on APMI’s Panel of Fellows, Awards Committee, and Publications Committee. He received the MPIF Distinguished Service Award in 1991 and the MPIF's Kempton H. Roll PM Lifetime Achievement Award in 2012.
A video paying tribute to Alan Lawley can be found here.
This story is reprinted from material from the MPIF, with editorial changes made by Materials Today. The views expressed in this article do not necessarily represent those of Elsevier.
