Hydrogeologist and environmental
engineer. An appreciation
PROFESSOR Paul Younger, who has died aged 55, was an internationally-renowned hydrogeologist and environmental engineer who held the University of Glasgow's Rankine Chair in the
School of Engineering.
He was a member of staff at Glasgow University from August 2012 to March 2017, when he took early retirement. In addition to his academic focus on energy engineering he was also member of the university court and served on the estates committee.
Latterly his academic focus had been on geothermal and other aspects of water-related renewable energy, and the elimination of pollution and carbon emissions in the energy sector.
During the construction of the university’s district heating scheme in 2014/15, he was a member of the project board and championed the exploitation of the system as a teaching resource for engineering students.
Before joining Glasgow, Professor Younger had been Newcastle University’s pro-vice-chancellor for engagement. He arrived at Newcastle as a geology undergraduate and worked his way up to become director of the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability.
Recognised at the highest levels, he was honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2007 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2016.
The principal and vice-chancellor of Glasgow, Professor Sir Anton
Muscatelli, said that in addition to Professor Younger's transformative contribution to research and teaching at the School of Engineering, he threw himself with goodwill and enthusiasm into all aspects of university life.
"He was also a member of the university’s Gaelic committee, which was one small demonstration of Paul’s varied interests and passions. Indeed he was a talented linguist and a fluent speaker of both Gaelic and Spanish, as well as a fine singer and multi-instrumentalist. "
Paul Younger's inaugural Rankine Chair Lecture began with him singing the praises of the Ben Cruachan 'Hollow Mountain' hydro-electric scheme ... in Gaelic.
Professor Younger was on the expert scientific panel on unconventional oil and gas, set up by Scottish Government,
and a co-author of the Royal Society and the Royal Academy of Engineering's influential report on shale gas extraction in the UK.
In 2015 he was the guest on BBC Radio 4's The Life Scientific, a recognition of what a truly remarkable man he was.
John Marsh, professor of optoelectronic systems and transnational education dean, said: "I had the privilege of working with Paul for more than six years. I knew him as man of integrity and faith, a person of the highest stature in the academic and engineering
communities, and as a friend. Paul moved to Glasgow to re-establish the university as a world-leader in energy technology, building with pride on the legacy of William Rankine in whose honour his chair was named.
"Working with him was a delight; he was a true polymath, whose professional interests encompassed all the engineering disciplines and beyond, and whose personal interests included languages, music, and hill walking. Above all, his passion was for people,
demonstrated by his love and care of individuals, his appreciation of diverse cultures, his sense of justice, and his determination that developments in technology should lead to a better society."
Professor David Cumming, head of the School of Engineering and chair of electronic systems, said Professor Younger had had a transformative influence in both teaching and research in energy systems.
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