Biography
Born on July 25, 1933, in the village of Easton, near Wells in Somerset, England, Roger Ian Tanner is a distinguished mechanical engineer and academic, best known for his significant contributions to the field of rheology. He served as the P.N. Russell Professor of Mechanical Engineering at the University of Sydney from 1975 until his retirement in July 2020, and is a Fellow of The Royal Society of London.
Education
- Engineering Apprenticeship - Engine Division, Bristol Aeroplane Company (1950)
- B.Sc. in Mechanical Engineering (First Class Honours) - University of Bristol (1956)
- M.S. in Electrical Engineering - University of California, Berkeley (1957), awarded via King George VI Memorial Fellowship
- Ph.D. - University of Manchester (1961), focusing on lubrication and viscoelasticity
Professional Career
Professor Tanner's career spanned several major institutions across three continents:
- University of Manchester (1958–1961): Assistant Lecturer.
- University of Sydney (1961–1966): Senior Lecturer, later promoted to Reader. Helped modernize the curriculum and conducted research on fluid mechanics.
- Brown University (1966–1975): Associate Professor, later Professor. Conducted influential work on the die-swell phenomenon and computational rheology.
- University of Sydney (1975–2020): Appointed to the prestigious P.N. Russell Chair of Mechanical Engineering. Also served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor (Research) from 1993 to 1997. Retired in July 2020.
Major Scientific Contributions
Professor Tanner is a prominent figure in rheology and computational fluid dynamics. His work has significantly advanced the understanding of non-Newtonian fluids.
- The PTT Model (1977): Along with Nhan Phan-Thien, he developed the Phan-Thien–Tanner (PTT) constitutive model for viscoelastic fluids.
- Die-Swell (1974): Produced the first realistic finite element calculation of the swelling of a viscous jet (die-swell).
- Publications: Authored several books, including Engineering Rheology (1985), and published approximately 300 papers.
Honors
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) – elected 1976
- Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA) – elected 1979
- Fellow of the Royal Society of London (FRS) – elected 2001
- Edgeworth David Medal (1967)
- A.G.M. Michell Medal (1999)
- Gold Medal – British Society of Rheology (2000)
Personal Life
Tanner met his wife, Elizabeth Bogen, while studying at Berkeley. They married in Las Vegas in 1957. Elizabeth passed away in November 2019 after 62 years of marriage. They had five children: David, Jackie, Edwina, Ian, and Rebecca.
Tanner has a lifelong interest in opera and actively plays golf and tennis.