Dr Andrew Chew – winner of the Harry Leck Memorial Medal 2022

The winner of the 2022 Harry Leck Memorial Medal is Dr Andrew Chew, Atlas Copco.  Presentation of the Medal will be made in the Exhibition Marquee at 6:00pm on Tuesday 12th July 2022.

Andrew’s first vacuum experiment was in 1989, as an investigation of a proposed dependence on mass of acceleration due to gravity. It involved the measurement of the fall of spheres of different materials/mass but with the same diameter, in a 5m chamber under vacuum. This was the final year project of his BSc degree in Physics at the University of York, where he went on to complete a PhD (1993) in Vacuum Physics under the supervision of Austin Chambers. This work focused on vacuum metrology and the measurement of tangential momentum accommodation coefficients.

After a Post-doc position making in-vacuum identification of field asymmetries intrinsic to high temperature superconductor suspension systems, collaborating with the KFZ in Karlsruhe, he joined the Central Technical and Application Group at Edwards Vacuum in 1995 as a Technologist. His work there included the fundamental assessment and development of vacuum mechanisms and continued work on the gas-surface interface. In his earlier years at Edwards he had the privilege of working with some vacuum luminaries who were at the end of their careers, including Henry Wycliffe, whose development of the dry pump revolutionised the use of vacuum in the semiconductor and other process industries.

His work in Vacuum Engineering allowed him to gain registration as a Chartered Engineer.

At Edwards he had a range of other roles, including market development across the entire spectrum of vacuum applications: analytical instrumentation, medical, R&D, industrial, semiconductor and solar.

Since the formation of the Scientific Vacuum Division of Atlas Copco (which owns the Edwards, Leybold and Gamma Vacuum brands) he has been Global Applications Manager, with a responsibility across all continents for developing vacuum application solutions, mentoring, and training colleagues and new product technology developments. He has a special focus on identifying vacuum industry trends and emerging technologies.

He has had over 40 publications, made more than 50 conference presentations, and produced 6 patents.

He has served as a British Vacuum councillor and is currently the Chair of the IOP Vacuum Group. He gained fellowship of the IOP in 2019 and is the founding editor of www.vacuumscienceworld.com portal of expertise.

He remains fascinated by vacuum science and the dynamism of the vacuum industry in all its forms.