Triple retirement of esteemed civil engineers

Published On Thu 17 Apr 2014 by Grant Hill

Photo opportunity: 3pm on Friday, 18th April at the Dalhousie Building.

Three esteemed members of the Division of Civil Engineering at the University of Dundee will tomorrow retire following a combined service of more than 80 years.

Friends, family and colleagues of Professor Malcolm Horner, Dr Ken Peebles and Professor David Muir-Wood will gather at 3pm on Friday, 18th April to recognise their contribution to the University and wish them a long and happy retirement.

Professor Horner joined the University in 1977 after several years in industry. He established the Construction Management Research Unit, and served the University variously as Head of Department, Deputy Principal, and most recently as Vice Principal. He is also a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.

Dr Peebles was a student at the University College Dundee when it was still part of the University of St Andrews. After working in industry he joined the University in 1975. As well as leading the teaching of structural engineering, Dr Peebles was Director of Studies for the School of Engineering, Physics and Mathematics.

Professor Muir-Wood enjoyed an illustrious career in geotechnical engineering that took him to Cambridge, Glasgow, Bristol and finally Dundee in 2009.  He has carried out internationally recognised work on the fundamental behaviour of soils and has published seminal books on the subject.

Professor Rod Jones, of the Division of Civil Engineering, said, “Malcolm Horner has had a huge influence on the Scottish construction industry. He championed the transfer lean manufacturing techniques from the automotive world to the construction industry and set up the Scottish Construction Centre with an aim of improving innovation in the sector. He was also a mentor to academic staff and to industrial engineers and was instrumental in building the international reputation of Civil Engineering at Dundee

“Ken Peebles has taught structural engineering to a generation of civil engineers who now work at the highest levels in the industry. He was a great believer in using modern computer-based analysis but founding students on a fundamental understanding on structural behaviour, enabling them to make accurate, reliable and economic decisions about the design of structures.”

“David Muir-Wood has had a profound influence on the understanding of soil mechanics worldwide over his career. He has an international reputation and has travelled the world to address the geotechnical engineering community on soil particle modelling. I wish all three all the best for a long and happy retirement.”

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