John B. Heywood is a British mechanical engineer known for his work on

automotive engine , there were a wide variety of propulsion systems available or potentially available for automobiles and other vehicles. Options included internal combustion engines fueled by petrol, diesel, propane, or natural gas; hybrid vehicles, plug-in hy ...

research, for authoring a number of field-defining textbooks on the

internal combustion engine An internal combustion engine (ICE or IC engine) is a heat engine in which the combustion of a fuel occurs with an oxidizer (usually air) in a combustion chamber that is an integral part of the working fluid flow circuit. In an internal combus ...

, and as the director of the Sloan Automotive Lab at the

Massachusetts Institute of Technology The Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) is a private land-grant research university in Cambridge, Massachusetts. Established in 1861, MIT has played a key role in the development of modern technology and science, and is one of the ...

(MIT). Heywood was elected a member of the

National Academy of Engineering The National Academy of Engineering (NAE) is an American nonprofit, non-governmental organization. The National Academy of Engineering is part of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering, and Medicine, along with the National Academy ...

in 1998 for the prediction of emissions and efficiencies of spark-ignition engines and contributions to national policies on motor emissions.

Early life and education

Heywood grew up in the United Kingdom in an academic family, the child of a mechanical engineer father, Harold Heywood, and a metallurgist mother, Frances Heywood. After graduating from

Cambridge University , 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 ...

with a BA, he moved to

Cambridge, Massachusetts Cambridge ( ) is a city in Middlesex County, Massachusetts, United States. As part of the Boston metropolitan area, the cities population of the 2020 U.S. census was 118,403, making it the fourth most populous city in the state, behind Boston, ...

in 1960 to study at MIT for a master's degree in 1962, and completed a

PhD PHD or PhD may refer to: * Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), an academic qualification Entertainment * '' PhD: Phantasy Degree'', a Korean comic series * ''Piled Higher and Deeper'', a web comic * Ph.D. (band), a 1980s British group ** Ph.D. (Ph.D. albu ...

in mechanical engineering in 1965.

Career

Heywood's early work at MIT focused on chemical processes in car engines of molecules like

oxides of nitrogen Nitrogen oxide may refer to a binary compound of oxygen and nitrogen, or a mixture of such compounds: Charge-neutral *Nitric oxide (NO), nitrogen(II) oxide, or nitrogen monoxide *Nitrogen dioxide (), nitrogen(IV) oxide *Nitrogen trioxide (), or ni ...

that lead to

hydrocarbon In organic chemistry, a hydrocarbon is an organic compound consisting entirely of hydrogen and carbon. Hydrocarbons are examples of group 14 hydrides. Hydrocarbons are generally colourless and hydrophobic, and their odors are usually weak or ex ...

emissions, at a time when it was unclear how and to what extent these contributed to

atmospheric pollution Air pollution is the contamination of air due to the presence of substances in the atmosphere that are harmful to the health of humans and other living beings, or cause damage to the climate or to materials. There are many different types ...

. In 1972, he became director of the MIT Sloan Automotive Lab, where he worked with James C. Keck and James Fay on internal combustion engines, fuel, automotive pollutants, and policy around the future of transportation. He became a full professor at MIT in 1976. In 1988, he published a textbook, "Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals", which served as a key text for mechanical engineering courses around the world and as an essential text for professional engineers in the field. The book sold over 130,000 copies, with a second edition published in 2018. In later stages of his career, Heywood worked on a number of forward-looking reports exploring the future of automotive transportation including "On the Road in 2020", published in 2000 and cited over 400 times, "On the Road To 2035" in 2008, and "On the Road Toward 2050" in 2015. His comprehensive work across all parts of automotive engineering earned him the sobriquet "the

Yoda Yoda () is a fictional character in the ''Star Wars'' universe, first appearing in the 1980 film ''The Empire Strikes Back''. He is a small, green humanoid alien who is powerful with the Force and is a leading member of the Jedi Order until ...

of cars".

Personal life

While at MIT around 1960, he met his wife Peggy who was studying history at

Radcliffe College Radcliffe College was a women's liberal arts college in Cambridge, Massachusetts, and functioned as the female coordinate institution for the all-male Harvard College. Considered founded in 1879, it was one of the Seven Sisters colleges and he ...

. The two temporarily moved back to England for John to work on plasma dynamics for the

Central Electricity Generating Board The Central Electricity Generating Board (CEGB) was responsible for electricity generation, transmission and bulk sales in England and Wales from 1958 until privatisation of the electricity industry in the 1990s. It was established on 1 Januar ...

, before returning to Cambridge in 1968. John and Peggy had three sons; engineer

Jamie Jamie is a unisex name. It is a diminutive form of James or, more rarely, other names. It is also given as a name in its own right. People Female * Jamie Anne Allman (born 1977), American actress * Jamie Babbit (born 1970), American film and te ...

, craftsman builder

Stephen Stephen or Steven is a common English first name. It is particularly significant to Christians, as it belonged to Saint Stephen ( grc-gre, Στέφανος ), an early disciple and deacon who, according to the Book of Acts, was stoned to death; ...

, and entrepreneur Benjamin. In 1999, Stephen was diagnosed with the terminal neurodegenerative disease amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (

ALS Amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), also known as motor neuron disease (MND) or Lou Gehrig's disease, is a neurodegenerative disease that results in the progressive loss of motor neurons that control voluntary muscles. ALS is the most com ...

) at the age of 29. Together the family, led by Jamie, founded the

ALS Therapy Development Institute The ALS Therapy Development Institute (ALS TDI) is a non-profit biotechnology research organization focused on finding treatments for amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS). With a staff including more than 30 scientists, it operates a research and de ...

to try and find a cure for Stephen, documented in the documentary film, '' So Much So Fast'', and the book ''His Brother's Keeper: A Story from the Edge of Medicine'', written by

Pulitzer Prize The Pulitzer Prize () is an award for achievements in newspaper, magazine, online journalism, literature, and musical composition within the United States. It was established in 1917 by provisions in the will of Joseph Pulitzer, who had made h ...

-winning author

Jonathan Weiner Jonathan Weiner (born November 26, 1953) is an American writer of non-fiction books based on his biological observations, focusing particularly on evolution in the Galápagos Islands, genetics, and the environment. His latest book is ''Long for ...

. While Stephen died in 2006 from complications of ALS, Heywood continues to serve on the board of ALS TDI alongside his son, Jamie. Stephen's illness also inspired the online patient network

PatientsLikeMe PatientsLikeMe is the world’s largest integrated community, health management, and real-world data platform. Through PatientsLikeMe, a growing community of more than 830,000 people with over 2,900 conditions share personal stories and informat ...

, founded by brothers Benjamin and Jamie with a college friend from MIT, Jeff Cole. In a review of His Brother's Keeper, the ''Los Angeles Times'' reviewer Mark Dowie wrote: "And what a family; tight-knit, loving, and defiantly loyal."

Awards and distinctions

* ScD from 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 ...

*Honorary doctor of technology,

University of Gothenburg The University of Gothenburg ( sv, Göteborgs universitet) is a university in Sweden's second largest city, Gothenburg. Founded in 1891, the university is the third-oldest of the current Swedish universities and with 37,000 students and 6000 st ...

*Honorary doctor of science, City University, London *Sun Jae Professor of Mechanical Engineering * Fellow of the Society of Automotive Engineers * Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers *Member of the

Bibliography

* Internal Combustion Engine Fundamentals (1988) * The Two-Stroke Cycle Engine (1999) * On the Road in 2020 (2000) * On the Road to 2035 (2008) * On the Road Toward 2050 (2015)

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Heywood, John B Living people Year of birth missing (living people) Place of birth missing (living people) British automotive engineers Alumni of the University of Cambridge MIT School of Engineering alumni Massachusetts Institute of Technology faculty British emigrants to the United States