Norman A Fleck

Professor Norman A Fleck is Professor of Mechanics and Materials and founding Director of the Cambridge Centre for Micromechanics at the University of Cambridge Department of Engineering. A world-leading authority in the mechanics of materials, he has held visiting appointments at Harvard and NASA Langley and has been continuously on the Cambridge faculty since 1985.

Education

• 1976–1979 Jesus College, Cambridge — BA Engineering (First Class with Distinction; Baker Prize, IMechE Project Prize, Keller Prize)
• 1980–1983 Pembroke College, Cambridge — PhD Engineering (Research Fellowship 1981–1984)

Research Interests

Professor Fleck’s research centres on the micro-mechanics of material behaviour, linking microstructural evolution to macroscopic performance. Key themes include:

• fatigue, fracture and creep of engineering solids;
• strain-gradient plasticity and size effects;
• cellular and lattice materials, metallic foams and sandwich structures;
• ferroelectric switching and multi-functional materials.

Scientific Awards & Distinctions

• Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS, 2004)
• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng, 2008)
• Foreign Member, US National Academy of Engineering (2014)
• Humboldt Research Award (2011)
• ASME Koiter Medal (2013)
• EUROMECH Solid Mechanics Prize (2015)
• AA Griffith Medal (2014)
• Member of Academia Europaea, European Academy of Sciences
• ISI Highly Cited Researcher in Engineering (2001)

Leadership & Service

He founded and directs the Cambridge Centre for Micromechanics, chairs the Rolls-Royce Scientific Advisory Board for Materials, Manufacturing & Structures, and has served on the Royal Society’s Awards, Research Grants and Industry Fellowship panels. He has organised numerous international conferences and sits on the editorial boards of Journal of the Mechanics and Physics of Solids, International Journal of Solids and Structures, and several other leading journals.