Graeme Davies

Sir Graeme John Davies (7 April 1937 – 30 August 2022) was a New Zealand engineer, academic and administrator. During his career, he was Vice-Chancellor of three universities: the University of Liverpool, the University of Glasgow and the University of London.

Early life and education Graeme John Davies was born in Auckland, New Zealand on 7 April 1937, the son of Harry John Davies and Gladys Edna Davies (née Pratt). He attended Mount Albert Grammar School in Auckland, and later the University of Auckland where he obtained a BE in Aeronautical Engineering and a PhD in Materials Science.

Career Davies taught metallurgy at the University of Auckland (1960–1962), the University of Cambridge (1964–1977) and the University of Sheffield (1978–1986) where he was Professor of Metallurgy.

He moved in 1962 to the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge, initially as a TI Research Fellow. He was made a Demonstrator in 1964 and a Lecturer in 1966. Some details of his time in the Department are provided in a book covering its history. He also became a Fellow of St Catharine's College, Cambridge, serving as Dean and as a Tutor.

Davies became Chief Executive of the Universities Funding Council (UFC), and also of the Polytechnic and Colleges Funding Council (PCFC), and then of their successor, the Higher Education Funding Council for England (HEFCE). He was also a Fellow

Publications

Solidification and Casting (1973) Texture and the Properties of Materials (co-ed, 1976) Solidificacao e Fundicao das Metals e Suas Ligas (jtly, 1978) Hot Working and Forming Processes (co-ed, 1980) Superplasticity (jtly, 1981) Essential Metallurgy for Engineers (jtly, 1985) Herding Cats (jtly, 2010)