Pioneering engineer among 20 University staff honoured by new Leeds sculpture

A new sculpture, which celebrates the lives of inspirational women who have contributed to the city of Leeds, has honoured an award-winning academic who transformed the field of tribology.

Anne Neville OBE, a Professor of Tribology and Surface Engineering, is among 20 names associated with the University of Leeds to be included in the Ribbons sculpture, which was unveiled in a public ceremony on October 12 by Leeds MP and Chancellor of the Exchequer Rachel Reeves.

The installation champions women’s achievements in Leeds from both the past and present, and comprises five corten steel ribbons carrying the names of over 350 nominated women. It was created by artist Pippa Hale for a project led by Leeds Arts University in partnership with Leeds City Council and Leeds City College, and sits between the college’s Quarry Hill campus and Leeds Playhouse.

Professor Neville, who died in 2022 at the age of 52, joined the University in 2003. She was an internationally leading research engineer who made significant contributions to the field of tribology – the study of how surfaces interact in relative motion, and a cornerstone of modern engineering – and her eminence in her field attracted recognition through many prizes and medals, including: 

• Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (2005);  
• Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers (2007);  
• Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (2009);  
• Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering (2010);  
• The Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award (2013);  
• Order of the British Empire (2017);  
• Honorary Engineering Doctorate from Heriot-Watt University (2017) and the University of Glasgow (2019); and  
• Royal Society Clifford Patterson Medal (2021). 

Professor Anne Neville.

In 2016, Anne became the first woman to win both the Royal Society’s Leverhulme Medal and the Institute of Mechanical Engineering’s James Clayton Prize. The following year, she achieved a lifetime ambition when she was elected as a Fellow of the prestigious Royal Society (FRS). 

Anne joins 19 other women associated with the University, including academics, graduates, and professional staff. You can read about those who became part of the sculpture at the University of Leeds website.

Further information 

• Read Professor Neville’s obituary at the University of Leeds Secretariat.
• The project is supported by LeedsBID, Caddick Developments, Leeds Civic Trust, the Liz and Terry Bramall Foundation, the Henry Moore Foundation and the Leeds Playhouse. 
• For more information, please contact the University of Leeds Press Office by emailing pressoffice@leeds.ac.uk.