Ian Macmillan Ward

Ian Macmillan Ward (9 April 1928 – 5 November 2018) was a British physicist specialising in polymer science. He was Cavendish Professor of Physics in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Leeds where he was also chairman of the School of Physics and Astronomy and first director of the Polymer Interdisciplinary Research Centre.

Early life and education Ward was educated at the Royal Grammar School, Newcastle upon Tyne and Magdalen College, Oxford. He was managing director of several University of Leeds spin-off companies. These include Vantage Polymers for single polymer self-reinforced composites, die-drawn ropes and tubes, and Leeds Lithium Power for thermoreversible, ionically conducting polymer gel electrolytes used to manufacture lithium batteries. His certificate of election reads:

The Ian Macmillan Ward Prize for the Best Student Publication, awarded every two years to PhD students by the Institute of Physics Polymer Physics Group, is named in his honour.

In 2013, the Department of Materials of ETH Zurich awarded him the Staudinger–Durrer Prize in recognition of his pioneering contributions to the field of mechanical properties of solid polymers and polymer-based composites.

Major works