Stephen Lawrence Bragg (17 November 1923 – 14 November 2014) was a British

engineer Engineers, as practitioners of engineering, are professionals who Invention, invent, design, build, maintain and test machines, complex systems, structures, gadgets and materials. They aim to fulfill functional objectives and requirements while ...

who was Vice Chancellor of

Brunel University Brunel University of London (BUL) is a public research university located in the Uxbridge area of London, England. It is named after Isambard Kingdom Brunel, a Victorian engineer and pioneer of the Industrial Revolution. It became a university ...

from 1971 to 1981. He was the son of

Lawrence Bragg Sir William Lawrence Bragg (31 March 1890 – 1 July 1971) was an Australian-born British physicist who shared the 1915 Nobel Prize in Physics with his father William Henry Bragg "for their services in the analysis of crystal structure by m ...

and grandson of

William Henry Bragg Sir William Henry Bragg (2 July 1862 – 12 March 1942) was an English physicist and X-ray crystallographer who uniquelyThis is still a unique accomplishment, because no other parent-child combination has yet shared a Nobel Prize (in any fiel ...

Early life, education and career

He was born on 17 November 1923 to

, physicist, X-ray crystallographer and Nobel Prize winner for physics (1915) and his wife Alice Grace Jenny née Hopkinson. He attended

Rugby School Rugby School is a Public school (United Kingdom), private boarding school for pupils aged 13–18, located in the town of Rugby, Warwickshire in England. Founded in 1567 as a free grammar school for local boys, it is one of the oldest independ ...

. He studied

engineering Engineering is the practice of using natural science, mathematics, and the engineering design process to Problem solving#Engineering, solve problems within technology, increase efficiency and productivity, and improve Systems engineering, s ...

at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a Public university, public collegiate university, collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209, the University of Cambridge is the List of oldest universities in continuous operation, wo ...

graduating with an BA in 1945 and an MA in 1949. He went on to study at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a Private university, private research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts, United States. Established in 1861, MIT has played a significant role in the development of many areas of moder ...

receiving an SM in 1949. He worked for

Rolls-Royce Rolls-Royce (always hyphenated) may refer to: * Rolls-Royce Limited, a British manufacturer of cars and later aero engines, founded in 1906, now defunct Automobiles * Rolls-Royce Motor Cars, the current car manufacturing company incorporated in ...

between 1951 and 1971, helping develop the Blue Streak missile, and rose to the position of chief scientist, responsible for liaison with universities. Bragg encouraged interactions between academia and industry, and spent five years on the University Grants Committee. In 1971 he left Rolls-Royce, three days before it was declared insolvent, and became Vice Chancellor of

. In 1981 he returned to Cambridge as director of the Industrial Cooperation Unit and Fellow of Wolfson College. Bragg was the Chairman of the Advisory Committee on

Falsework Falsework consists of temporary structures used in construction to support a permanent structure until its construction is sufficiently advanced to support itself. For arches, this is specifically called centering. Falsework includes temporary ...

that published its Final Report of the Advisory Committee on Falsework in June 1975.

Personal life

In 1951 he married Maureen Ann (née Roberts) and they had three sons.

References

External links

Map of Stephen Bragg Hall at Brunel
named after him English aerospace engineers Fellows of Wolfson College, Cambridge 1923 births 2014 deaths People educated at Rugby School {{UK-engineer-stub