Professor Hugh Spikes holds a personal chair as ‘Professor of Lubrication’ and is head of the Tribology research group.  He has published over two hundred refereed papers and patents in the field of Tribology, spanning many aspects of liquid lubricant behaviour ranging from boundary to hydrodynamic lubrication.

In 2004, Hugh Spikes was awarded the three major medals that are bestowed internationally for contributions to Tribology, the International Award of the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers, the Mayo D. Hersey Award of the American Society of Mechanical Engineers and the Tribology Trust Gold Medal. With his research students he has also received eight best paper awards, from the Institution of Mechanical Engneers, the Society of Tribologists and Lubrication Engineers and the Institution of Mechanical Engineers.