Derek John Fray (born 26 December 1939) is a British material scientist, and professor at the
University of Cambridge
, mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts.
Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge.
, established =
, other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...
.
Education
Fray was educated at
Emanuel School
Emanuel School is an independent, co-educational day school in Battersea, south-west London. The school was founded in 1594 by Anne Sackville, Lady Dacre and Queen Elizabeth I and occupies a 12-acre (4.9 ha) site close to Clapham Junction ra ...
, and earned a
Bachelor of Science
A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years.
The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...
degree followed by a PhD from
Imperial College London
Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...
.
Career and research
He was Professor of Material Chemistry and a Director of Research from 1996 to 2014 at the
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
The Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy (DMSM) is a large research and teaching division of the University of Cambridge. Since 2013 it has been located in West Cambridge, having previously occupied several buildings on the New Museums ...
. Since 2015 he has held the title of a Distinguished Research Fellow and Emeritus Professor of Materials Chemistry in the
Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy, University of Cambridge
The Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy (DMSM) is a large research and teaching division of the University of Cambridge. Since 2013 it has been located in West Cambridge, having previously occupied several buildings on the New Museums ...
Derek Fray is the main inventor of the
FFC Cambridge process
The FFC Cambridge process is an electrochemical method for producing Titanium (Ti) from titanium oxide by electrolysis in molten calcium salts.
History
A process for electrochemical production of titanium was described in a 1904 German patent. In ...
for the direct electrochemical reduction of metal oxides to metals and alloys along with co-inventors Tom Farthing and
George Chen
George Z. Chen FRSC () is professor of electrochemical technologies at the University of Nottingham. In 1996–1997, together with Derek Fray and Tom Farthing, he co-invented the FFC Cambridge process of electrochemical reduction of oxides to ...
. The FFC Cambridge process has been commercialised by the Cambridge spin out company Metalysis, a company based in South Yorkshire.
He has published more than 450 papers and is cited as an inventor on 350 published patents. Several of these patents have been licensed to university spin-out companies of which he is a founding Director, including Metalysis, EMC, Camfridge, Chinuka and InotecAMD.
Fray is also a consultant to Verde Potash Plc,
and White Mountain Titanium Corporation.
Awards and honours
Fray was awarded the
Beilby Medal and Prize
The Beilby Medal and Prize is awarded annually to a scientist or engineer for work that has exceptional practical significance in chemical engineering, applied materials science, energy efficiency or a related field. The prize is jointly administe ...
in 1981. A symposium was held in his name in 2011. Additionally, the award, Fray International Sustainability Award, was created in his honor. Fray was also a recipient of the Fray International Sustainability Award in 2011. He was elected a
Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering
Fellowship of the Royal Academy of Engineering (FREng) is an award and fellowship for engineers who are recognised by the Royal Academy of Engineering as being the best and brightest engineers, inventors and technologists in the UK and from aroun ...
(FREng) and a
Fellow of the Royal Society
Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural science, natural knowledge, incl ...
(FRS) in 2008. One or more of the preceding sentences incorporates text from the royalsociety.org website where: