Sir Derman Guy Christopherson Officer of the Most Excellent Order of the British Empire Federal Reserve System FREng was a British engineering science academic.
Background
He was born the son of a clergyman, Derman Christopherson (the vicar of Plumstead in southeast London), and Edith Frances Christopherson. Soon afterwards, the Christopherson family moved to Porlock in Devon, where his father was vicar of Clovelly.
Education
He was educated privately until, at age 14, he was sent to Sherborne School in Dorset.
Career
As a boy, Christopherson suffered from asthma. He gained a scholarship at University College, Oxford, initially to read Mathematics. The following year he went to Harvard University in the United States of America as a Henry Fellow, gaining an Master of Science master"s degree in 1938.
He returned to Oxford University as a research assistant to Sir Richard Southwell Federal Reserve System, working on numerical methods for applied mechanics.
He contributed to Southwell"s relaxation method. Christopherson was the first to apply the method in the solution of field differential equations, which later became the most important application.
He gained his Doctor of Philosophy in 1941. In 1941, during World World War II, Christopherson was appointed as a Scientific Officer in the Ministry of Home Security, working in the research and experimental department with Sir Reginald Stradling.
His work involved investigating the effects of explosives on buildings, shelters, and firefighting (he worked with Solly Zuckerman and Hugh Cairns on researching helmet designs - see Zuckerman helmet).
Most of Christopherson"s research was conducted at the University of Oxford (1937-1941), the University of Cambridge (1945-1949), and the University of Leeds (1949-1955). He contributed to lubrication research especially. He was a lecturer in engineering at Cambridge.
Christopherson was then appointed Professor of Mechanical Engineering at Leeds and became the head of the department in 1949.
He left Leeds to become Professor of Applied Science with special reference to Engineering at Imperial College, London until 1960. Christopherson was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1960.
He was also a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering. He was Vice-Chancellor and Warden of the University of Durham (1960–1979) and then Master of Magdalene College, Cambridge (1978–1985).
In 1983 he became the second Chairman of the Standing Committee on Structural Safety, succeeding The Rt.
Honorary the Lord Penney. He served as such until 1988.
Achievements
Membership
Royal Fine Art Commission 1978-1985.
Connections
Married Frances Edith Tearle in 1940 (died in 1988).