Leeds Lyon 50th Symposium on Tribology

Last week PCS Instruments Dr Alexander MacLaren and Dr Kieran Nar were proud to take part in the 50th Leeds Lyon Symposium on Tribology, hosted at the University of Leeds.

For half a century, the Leeds Lyon meetings have been one of the defining events in the global tribology calendar. The symposium has provided a stage for innovative ideas, forged collaborations between academia and industry all while giving researchers the chance to test their thinking with an international audience. This anniversary edition carried that legacy forward, welcoming 221 delegates from 25 countries and featuring 193 presentations across both speaker and poster format.

The theme, “Tribological Challenges Underpinning the Innovations of the Next Fifty Years,” encouraged delegates to reflect on five decades of progress while tackling the new challenges that tribology faces today. The programme was broad and ambitious, with sessions on:

  • Efficiency of tribological systems in electric vehicles and engines using alternative fuels
  • Soft and bio-tribology, from medical devices to food science
  • Green tribology and sustainability challenges
  • Nanotribology and materials used in extreme conditions
  • Computational methods, machine learning, and data driven approaches

This wide scope reinforced how central tribology has become to technologies that will shape the future, from mobility and energy to healthcare and advanced materials.

PCS highlights

  • Dr Alexander MacLaren delivered his oral presentation on “Thermoviscous EHL traction behaviour of lubricating oils using a new ultra-high speed tribometer.” The room was full, and the talk drew excellent feedback. It was a proud moment to see our new HSD instrument at the centre of such a well-received discussion, with delegates keen to explore how it can support high speed tribology research.
  • Dr Kieran Nar presented his poster on “Exploring the role of tribology in thickeners for dysphagia.” His work showed how the MTM can provide valuable insights beyond traditional automotive or industrial applications, opening doors to healthcare and food science.
  • Both Alexander and Kieran also joined the Careers Session for Young Tribologists. The session was well attended and lively, and they closed it out as panellists, sharing advice and personal experiences with early career researchers who are now beginning their own journeys in the field.

Keynote sessions

The symposium featured four keynote lectures, each offering a perspective on where tribology is heading. Standout contributions for us included:

  • Professor Ian Taylor, University of Central Lancashire on Future Trends in Lubricants, providing an industry focused outlook on the direction of formulation science.
  • Dr Janet Wong, Imperial College London on Lubricant Inerting as a Sustainable Way Forward, a talk that sparked plenty of debate and highlighted new opportunities for greener testing environments.

Community and celebration

Of course, conferences are about more than just papers. The conference dinner at the Queens Hotel was a highlight of the social programme, complete with a brass band that made the evening a lively celebration of fifty years of Leeds Lyon. Conversations continued late into the night, with researchers and industry partners reflecting on both the history of the event and the exciting directions tribology is taking.

Looking ahead

The 50th Leeds Lyon Symposium reminded us why this event has endured for so long. It combined world class technical content with space for connection and collaboration and provided a glimpse of the tribological challenges that will define the next half century.