25 Oct The Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers of London
Members in the News – Prof. Alicia Duran and Prof. John M. Parker MA PhD FIMMM C.Eng FSGT
There were to be many fanfares to be sounded on 21st October 2022 as the Worshipful Company of Glass Sellers gathered for the Annual Banquet at the Mansion House in the City of London. Not least to witness New Honorary Liverymen making their declarations and being Clothed in Livery
In the late afternoon, the Master and Officers of the Company gathered to fulfil a decision made by the Court earlier in the year at the quarterly Court meeting in March 2022 and bestow on Professor Alicia Duran and Professor John Parker the title of Honorary Liveryman of The Company, in recognition of their contribution to the Glass World.
In this special year, declared by the United Nations as the International Year of Glass 2022. Their contributions to the “Age of Glass” have been outstanding.
Professor Alicia Duran
Research Professor CSIC, President of ICG and Chair of the IYOG2022 Alicia Durán born in Argentina obtained a degree in Physics from the National University of Córdoba in Argentina and a PhD in Physical Sciences from the UAM, developing her professional career at the Institute of Ceramics and Glass of the Spanish Research Council (CSIC). Research Professor of CSIC and the responsible of the GlaSS group
(http://glass.icv.csic.es), with more than 250 publications in WOK (H index of 46), she is currently President of the International Commission on Glass (ICG). She received the Phoenix Award from the international glass industry, being named Glass Person of the Year 2019. Now she is leading the International Year of Glass 2022, approved by the GA of United Nations on May 18th, 2021.
The Board of Trustees of the Ernst Abbe Fund awarded Professor Alicia Durán, with the 2022 Otto Schott Research Award. The award will be presented at the 26th International Glass Congress in Berlin on 3–8 July 2022.
Prof. John M. Parker MA PhD FIMMM C.Eng FSGT
John Parker is an alumnus of Christ’s College, Cambridge and graduated with first-class honours in Natural Sciences in 1967. Following a PhD in the Department of Mineralogy and Petrology, he was appointed to a lectureship in the Department of Glass Technology at Sheffield University. It was the first department of its type in the world founded in 1915 at a time when the quality of glass used in gun sights and binoculars was vital for the war effort. Work imbued John with his love for teaching and a fascination for research in glassy materials both commonplace and arcane; he has published over 200 papers and books. He has held several prestigious appointments in the field of glass science including President of the Society of Glass Technology, President of the European Society of Glass Science and adviser to the International Commission on Glass.
Following his retirement, he was appointed a curator of the Turner Museum of Glass in Sheffield which is named after the first Professor of Glass Technology, W.E.S.Turner. In the last year he has been the UK Chairman of the International Year of Glass.