James's Story

Professor Emeritus James Dunwoody (1935-2012) Born in October 1935, James Dunwoody was a pupil at St Mary’s Christian Brothers’ School in Belfast and graduated from Queen‘s in Mechanical Engineering in 1957. He began his career as Senior Scientific Officer in the Mathematics Division of the National Physical Laboratory in Teddington, Middlesex, returning to Queen’s to work in the Mechanical Engineering Department in 1965. Here he enjoyed many years of continued success, retiring as Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Mechanics in 1998. In 2010, Professor Dunwoody set up a new entrance scholarship which recognises the two educational institutions which most influenced his professional life – the network of Christian Brothers’ Schools and Queen’s University. Known as the Dunwoody Scholarships, awards are made to the top scholars from the Christian Brothers’ Schools entering the Faculty of Engineering and Physical Sciences at Queen’s. “I wanted to inspire pupils from my old school to think about a career in Engineering, Mathematics or Physical Science. In addition, Queen’s played a very large part in my professional and personal life. As the beneficiary of a scholarship myself, I understand first-hand the benefits of helping gifted students who may not have the resources to support a university education, so I wanted to give something back. I hope that those who can, will give a little to help support such individuals.”