In memoriam: Professor Luc Vandeperre

Last month we were saddened by the sudden death of Professor Luc Vandeperre.

Professor Luc Vandeperre was a core member of the Department of Materials for 16 years, and over that time he made a huge contribution to our Department.

Professor Vandeperre received both his Masters of Engineering and PhD in Materials Science from the Catholic University of Leuven in Belgium. He was awarded the 1997 Scientific Prize of the Belgian Ceramic Society for his PhD work. After this, Professor Vandeperre worked as a post-doctoral researcher in academia and as a staff member in commercial research at Vito in Belgium.

In November 2006, he joined Imperial College London from the University of Cambridge. Professor Vandeperre worked as a Professor of Structural Ceramics and made significant contributions in processing as well as in measuring and understanding the mechanical properties of ceramics and cements.

He was a core member of the Centre for Advanced Structural Ceramics (CASC), working on a range of ceramic as well as cement-related projects spanning processing hard ceramics for armour, tailoring mullite for micro-turbine applications, thermal shock of and conversion from cements of refractories, ultra high-temperature ceramics for aerospace, re-use of ashes from industrial processes and cements for nuclear waste encapsulation.

Professor Vandeperre had a formidable intellect: many colleagues have noted that they could go to Luc with any research problem – not necessarily within his known area of expertise – and he would ask incisive questions that rapidly got to the heart of the matter and unlocked progress. The quality of his own research was recognised in 2019 with the award of the Verulam Medal and Prize by the Institute of Materials, Minerals & Mining.

He was also a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and the UK higher education academy, as well as a member of the American Ceramic Society, for whom he co-organised the annual symposium on ultra-high-temperature ceramics.

Professor Vandeperre was Director of Undergraduate Studies. He was widely recognised as a remarkable educator and a champion for student welfare: colleagues have commented about the efficiency and clarity of his teaching. The excellence of his contribution is evident from his President’s Award for Teaching in 2010 and a second President’s Award for Pastoral Care in 2016 – to receive two such awards is quite remarkable. Not only that, he received awards from the students themselves, including his 2018 Student Academic Choice Award for Best Feedback.

Professor Vandeperre made a tremendous contribution to the Department of Materials, and he will be painfully missed by many. 

If you would like to leave a condolence message in his memory, please visit Forever Missed.

Tributes to Professor Vandeperre

• 'Luc made a remarkable contribution to the Department of Materials at Imperial - a contribution that enriched the life of his colleagues and impacted significantly upon the careers of very many students. We remember and celebrate both his character and his accomplishments: his incisive intellect; his imagination and creativity; the lucidity of his teaching; and his kind and generous spirit. We will miss him, but our memories of him will inspire us too.' - Professor Peter Haynes, Head of Department
  
• This is a profound and unexpected shock. I have fond memories of working with Luc and have long appreciated his deep knowledge and expertise regarding all things ceramic and particularly mechanical properties. He was always fun and entertaining and a great communicator. He will be sorely missed by the Department and the wider academic community to which he contributed much. - Professor Alan Atkinson, Emeritus Professor
• It is such a privilege to be able to have had Luc as my supervisor. He has had such a profound impact on my life, as well as many of those who had worked with him - Jia Hui Teo, PhD student 
• Luc was so down-to-earth and approachable, he always made the students feel welcomed by the big Materials community. I met him many years later, and I still remembered and thanked him for his lecture notes which influenced my chosen career. Luc said: "I put all the information in the notes because I was terrified I would forget it." So typical of Luc, always so humble, always making a joke, and ever so dedicated to his work and students - Dr Ann Huang
• Luc was a unique character but that's what made working with him exciting. I taught one of his labs a few years back; the students said that the main reason they took the option was to work with Luc. His dedication to the department can not be overstated; wherever something needed to be done you would find Luc ready and waiting to help. A highly respected academic, a courteous and wise colleague and a corner stone in our lives. He will be missed but never forgotten - Harry Payne, PhD student
• You were a star academic who always did the right thing, a valued colleague and friend, always a pleasure to work with and a decent and honourable human being. I am so sad you are gone Luc, the world is a lesser place for you no longer being in it - Professor Bill Lee, Emeritus Professor