L. P. Pook

Leslie Philip (Les) Pook was born in Middlesex, England in 1935. He obtained a BSc in metallurgy from the University of London in 1956. He started his career at Hawker Siddeley Aviation Ltd, Coventry in 1956. In 1963 he moved to the National Engineering Laboratory, East Kilbride, Glasgow. In 1969, while at the National Engineering Laboratory, he obtained a PhD in mechanical engineering from the University of Strathclyde. Dr Pook moved to University College London in 1990. He retired formally in 1998 but remained professionally active in the fields of metal fatigue and fracture mechanics and was a visiting professor at University College London until 2009. He now has more tine to pursue long standing interests in recreational mathematics, including flexagons and in horology, especially synchronous electric clocks. He is a Fellow of the Institution of Mechanical Engineers, a Fellow of the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining and a Fellow of the European Structural Integrity Society. Les married his wife Ann in 1960. They have a daughter, Stephanie and a son, Adrian.