Charles William Trowbridge (10 July 1930 – 13 November 2019) was a British physicist and engineer working in the field of

computational electromagnetics Computational electromagnetics (CEM), computational electrodynamics or electromagnetic modeling is the process of modeling the interaction of electromagnetic fields with physical objects and the environment. It typically involves using computer ...

Career

Trowbridge was born on 10 July 1930 in Totton. From 1946 to 1948 he received naval training on '' HMS Conway''. He subsequently worked eight years in the merchant navy. From 1957 to 1961 he worked at the

Atomic Energy Research Establishment The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) was the main Headquarters, centre for nuclear power, atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned and funded by the British Governm ...

. During this period he obtained a degree in physics from

Regent Street Polytechnic The University of Westminster is a public university based in London, United Kingdom. Founded in 1838 as the Royal Polytechnic Institution, it was the first polytechnic to open in London. The Polytechnic formally received a Royal charter in Aug ...

. Trowbridge started working at the Rutherford Laboratory in 1961. In 1971 he became head of its Computing Applications Group. When the Compumag conferences started in 1976 he was the first chairperson. In 1984 he was co-founder of Vector Fields Ltd, a computer aided engineering consultancy. Trowbridge served as head of the company until it was bought by Chelton in 2005. In 1987 he retired from the Rutherford Laboratory. Apart from his other positions he was a visiting professor at

King's College London King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public research university located in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of King George IV and the Duke of Wellington. In 1836, King's ...

. Trowbridge is considered to be one of the founders of the field of

. Trowbridge was elected a foreign member of the

Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences The Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences ( nl, Koninklijke Nederlandse Akademie van Wetenschappen, abbreviated: KNAW) is an organization dedicated to the advancement of science and literature in the Netherlands. The academy is housed ...

in 1992. In 1993 he was made Officer in the

Order of the British Empire The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established ...

. He died on 13 November 2019, aged 89.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Trowbridge, Bill 1930 births 2019 deaths Alumni of the Regent Street Polytechnic British physicists Members of the Royal Netherlands Academy of Arts and Sciences Officers of the Order of the British Empire People from Totton and Eling