Hugh Spikes graduated in Natural Sciences from the University of Cambridge in 1968 and obtained his PhD for research in Tribology from Imperial College in 1972.  He is currently Emeritus Professor in the Tribology Group, Mechanical Engineering Department, Imperial College London.

Professor Spikes is a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering, of IMechE and of STLE.  He has been involved in research in tribology for over fifty years and has received several recognitions for his research achievements including the ASME Mayo D Hersey Award and the STLE International Award.  In 2004 he was awarded the Tribology Trust Tribology Gold Medal, the highest international honour in Tribology.

Professor Spikes has an extensive publication record, with over 300 refereed papers and patents in the field of tribology. His influential publications address fundamental aspects of lubrication, friction and wear, including the mechanisms of antiwear additives such as zinc dialkyldithiophosphate (ZDDP), thin-film lubrication and friction modifier additives. His work has contributed significantly to understanding lubricant–surface interactions and the development of advanced lubricant technologies. He has also received numerous best-paper awards with his research students from professional societies, including IMechE, STLE and ASME.

Professor Spikes’ research interests span a wide range of liquid lubrication research, including hydrodynamic, elastohydrodynamic and boundary lubrication. A particular interest has been thin film lubrication and the influence of lubricant composition at a molecular level on the film-forming properties of lubricants and thus on friction and wear performance.