David came to Christ's from Neath Grammar School in 1964, and has been in this wonderful college ever since. Thanks to the flexibility of the Natural Sciences Tripos, he was able to specialise in materials science (a subject which he had not even heard of at school), and went on to research and teach in the materials department. He then moved to the materials division in the engineering department, making the transition from scientist to engineer.
His work has centred on the failure mechanisms of materials, and the analysis and prevention of failures in structures and components. He is lead author of the textbooks Engineering Materials I and Engineering Materials II (Elsevier), was founder editor-in-chief of Elsevier's journal Engineering Failure Analysis, and co-founded Elsevier's biennial International Conference on Engineering Failure Analysis.
He has acted as an expert witness in legal cases involving the failure of materials, e.g. Queensland Supreme Court - BHP Coal Pty Ltd & Ors v O&K Orenstein and Koppel AG & Ors 2008 QSC141, Queensland Supreme Court - Matton Developments Pty Ltd v CGU Insurance Ltd (No 2) 2015 QSC72, England & Wales High Court - Venetico Marine SA v International General Insurance Co Ltd & 19 Others EWHC3644(Comm).
In College, he was President (2010-2014), Acting Master (Lent 2010), Tutor, and Director of Studies in Engineering.
He has revelled in the huge reach of engineering, the creative challenges of problem solving, and international collaborations with people from many disciplines and walks of life. He despairs at the short-term, ill-considered nature of much political decision making, in particular the failure to maintain and expand our nuclear generating capacity.
Other interests include music (he played the baroque oboe with the Academy of Ancient Music, the English Concert, and the King's Consort), climbing (his favourite peak is Cnicht in North Wales), and racing classic wooden sailing boats.
