John (Known by all as Fred) Frederick Eastham
Obituary
Emeritus Professor Fred Eastham, who died on 18 October 2025, was a pioneer in electrical machine design who also made significant contributions in fields as diverse as medical imaging, power electronics and the applications of superconductivity and carbon nanotubes.
Fred was born in Preston in 1933. He had to leave school at 15 and took an apprenticeship as a power electrician. The teachers at his technical college advised that he take exams and apply for a scholarship to university.
Professor Eastham attended the University of Manchester where he received BSc, MSc, PhD, and DSc degrees. As a student at Manchester, he worked with Sir Fred Williams on variable speed induction machines. In 1964 he moved to Imperial College London with Eric Laithwaite. He moved to Aberdeen University as a Professor and then to the University of Bath in 1977 and stayed there as Head of Department, Dean and Pro Vice Chancellor.
As well as pure academic research, Fred did extensive work with industry. He was the main Board Director of the Mycalex Group Company and was a Consultant for many other companies including EMI Ltd, GEC plc, Goodrich Aerospace, Force Engineering Ltd, Vestas Wind Systems Ltd, and General Electric Global Research.
His public committee work included Chairmanship of the UK Science and Engineering Research Council Electrical Engineering Committee, and membership of the Council for National Academic Awards, and Member of the UK Technology Strategy Board.
Fred's work has been recognised at national and international levels. He was a fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh, Royal Academy of Engineering, and the Institution of Engineering and Technology in the UK. Awards include the Institution of Electrical Engineers Achievement Medal in the Science, Education and Technology Division, the Powergen Partnership Award and the Lifetime Contribution to Magnetics Award from the UK Magnetics Society.
Internationally, he was awarded the Doctorate Honoris Causa degree from Bucharest University, Romania and was appointed as an Honorary Professor by Harbin University and CUMT University in China.
Professor Eastham was the author or co-author of more than 45 patents and 200 technical papers.
He was generally considered by many to be a leader in the design of linear motors, starting in the 1960's consulting for Tracked HoverCraft Ltd. Much of that work was later used by others in the design of large scale MAGLEV systems such as those in Japan and China. He was personally involved in the 250m long track mounted camera made for the Winter Olympics in Salt Lake City in 2002.
Climate change has resulted in renewed interest in many of the machines Fred invented or worked on many years ago. His early work on axial flux motors, which have generally a flat pancake shape, are ideally suited to fit into an electric car, either inside or as part of the wheels. Recently he collaborated on axial flux generator designs for wind turbines. His recent developments involve reducing the losses in machines which use concentrated windings, a technique which reduces manufacturing cost but can also reduce efficiency if Fred's mitigation is not used.
In his more than 70 year career, Professor Eastham worked on a very wide range of electrical engineering projects, including: linear motors for fairgrounds (Force Engineering Ltd), launching planes off ships (GEC), MRI field homogeneity (EMI), MRI shielding at Hammersmith Hospital (GEC), degaussing submarines (ARE), arch machines for medical scanners (Force Engineering Ltd), shaded pole induction machines (Mycalex), dual winding machines (BMT Ltd), superconducting machines (GE), carbon nanotube machines and wireless charging (with University of Kentucky, Prof D Ionel).
In Fred's group of close local friends growing up together from kindergarten onwards, was Brenda Bethune. They married in 1958 and were still together after 67 happy years. The couple had two children, Kathryn and Elizabeth, two grandchildren, Sandy and Simon Carmichael and one great grand daughter, Sophie.
Fred took an enormous pride in the achievements of all his family and put great store in their happiness. Fred was active, involved and busy until the very end of his long life. In recent weeks he holidayed in Norfolk and Malta with family and had travelled to Sheffield to examine a PhD. His legacy lies not just in his own work but in the many students, colleagues and fellow engineers to whom he offered support and provided inspiration without hesitation. He delighted in their successes and achievements as much as his own. He will be greatly missed by them all.
Fred’s funeral will be held on Monday 10th November 2025 at 2.30pm at Claverton Church, Bath, then funeral wake will be at Bathampton Mill afterwards. All very welcome. There will just be family flowers.
Memory wall
I first met him during one of his trips to Sheffield when I worked as an engineer for Nissan embedded in the EMD group at the University of Sheffield. I was born and brought up in Aberdeen so we had some interesting talks about life in the city before the oil boom hit whilst having a traditional post-viva pint in the Red Deer in Sheffield.
Later, in January 2021 Professor Eastham was my external examiner for my PhD Viva. This had to be done remotely as the UK was in the midst of a COVID lockdown. It was a tough time for everyone but was an especially stressful time for myself but he handled it calmly and professionally which put my nerves at ease and provided excellent feedback and insight which I will always be grateful for.
He stands as a legend in the field and his contributions will outlast us all. My condolences to his family.
I was deeply saddened to hear about the passing of Prof Fred. I had the honor of his presence at my PhD viva, and I will always remember his insightful comments and the respect he showed for academic excellence. His contributions to the field and his kindness will be long remembered. My sincere condolences to his family, colleagues, and students.
I met Fred when he came to visit Sheffield in 2010 and I was so lucky to stay with Fred for many times when he came to Sheffield for PhD vivas or other events. He was always nice, patient and helpful to all the people next to him.
Rest in peace. You will be always missed by us.
Fred has was a significant figure and influence in my career and I will remember him with affection and utmost respect. He was a lovely man and our get-togethers will no longer be the same without him.
I really don't know how to describe my saddened feeling in writing.
I have known Fred over >30 years. The first time I met Fred when he was an external PhD examiner (for Professor Geraint Jewell, supervised by Professor David Howe) at Sheffield in 1992, although we did not chat each other, I was deeply impressed by his big smile. Then, at Intermag1996 in Seattle, Fred's paper poster was just next to mine and he explained his work to me like a teacher!
Over last 25 years, I personally became very close to Fred.
Fred nominated me as a Fellow of Royal Academy of Engineering and I was successfully elected a fellow in 2016.
Fred has been the external PhD examiner for many of my PhD students at Sheffield (22 recorded from 2010, Jintao CHEN, Xiao GE, Lijian WU, Wenqiang CHU, Yang SHEN, Yang XIAO, Yang GUAN, Shaoshen Xie, Han YANG, Fangrui WEI, Xiaoyong SUN, Shensheng WANG, Dong XIANG, Yu WANG, Fan XU, Ibrahim AFINOWI, Iain URQUHART, Edom LEMMA, Ahlam ALI, Tayfun GUNDOGDU, Seyefmilad KAZEMISANGDEHI, Furkan TOGO). The very last time that Fred visited Sheffield for Furkan's PhD viva was 25-27 September 2025, just 3 weeks before he left us!
When Fred came to Sheffield, I always arranged him to stay for 2 or 3 days so that I could accompany him, listening to his wise advice, sharing his rich experience, visiting the Peak District National Park, etc. Fred attended our EMD group picnic parties several times and we visited the Newton's birthplace three times!
At 18:15pm, Saturday, on 18 October, 2025, I wrote an email to Fred to thank him for his help and support over many years before I leaving for Hong Kong, as I wrote "You are really my godfather! I cannot find any appropriate words to express my gratitude to you." 1.5 hour later, I received an email from Professor Steve Williamson that Fred died. Later Prof. Shirlly Pei told me that Fred passed away around 16:00pm, about 2 hours before I sent him the email but almost instantaneously I was writing him the email! I could not believe this sad news since I was with Fred at Sheffield, visited the industrial museum, had PhD viva, and had dinners only about 3 weeks ago.
Even when I am writing this message, my eyes are full of tears.
Dear Fred, you will be terribly missed! I will remember you for ever!
You are my model for life!
RIP!
When we first met, he was in a wheelchair being escorted out of the airport. I still remember how he insisted on giving extra money to the staff who helped him, just to show his gratitude — that small gesture reflected his kindness and humility.
When I took him back to the airport, we talked for a long time. We discussed the economy, jobs, and the future of industries. He told me about his two-storey house, and when I asked if he had considered installing a lift, he smiled and said he planned to close off the upper floor the following year. I asked how he spent his days in retirement, and he said he was very busy — there was always something to do, always more to contribute to research.
Before he left, I asked him for some advice about life and the challenges we face today. He shared his wisdom with me — a few simple words that gave me direction when I was lost, and the courage to move forward.
Now I am content with my life, and I often think of his words with gratitude.
May God bless him and grant him eternal peace in heaven.
A webcast will be available for those that might not be able to attend but would like to follow the service.
John Frederick Eastham Funeral Live Stream — Funeral Live Streaming
www.uk-funeral-livestreaming.co.uk/john-frederick-eastham-funeral-live-stream
In case of connection difficulties a backup link is
Professor John Frederick Eastham - In Loving Memory
https://vimeo.com/event/5494573
It also happened my PhD supervisor, Prof. Greg Asher, was actually Fred's Post Doc in the old days and I had the opportunities to host both of them in Nottingham a couple of time during my Fellowship. It was really nice to see Greg and Fred sitting together after a long time indeed.
We had a summer party in July this year when Prof. Thomas Jahns from Wisconsin coming over to the UK after a long time and it was great to see Thomas and Fred meeting each other again after over 20+ years.
It was really a shock to me when I heard Fred passing as I was actually thinking of inviting him to Nottingham for a Christmas gathering later this year. Fred will be surely missed by us indeed. Thank you so much for your guidance and help, Fred. You will be missed by us so much....
One of Prof's favorite sayings was that "there is light at the end of the tunnel". Yes, this may have meant that he came over with the symbolic lantern to bring more work to be done. And yet we could not have been any happier, because it meant that Prof's guidance and teachings were on their way too. I was most fortunate to have been at University of Bath as a student and, after more than thirty years, as a Leverhulme Visiting Professor on sabbatical, and to have collaborated until the very end with Prof and with my own students. The group of academic generations, working on joint research and papers, made Prof and all of us very happy. We are forever grateful to Prof, and learned so much from him about engineering, profession, and life. We can only hope to be able to pass on the teachings and the goodwill as he would have liked us to do. To make sure that there will always be "light at the end of the tunnel".
Deepest condolences to Prof’s family and dear ones. Prof will be greatly forever missed by all of us. Memory eternal. The photos are from 2024 and 2025: five academic generations at University of Bath, near the old parking lot at Imperial College, outside and inside the old lab and office at University of Manchester.
It means so much to me to be part of his academic “family tree” —it’s something I’ll always be proud of. And it wasn’t just his smarts; his passion for work and his positive outlook on life kept inspiring me all through my PhD and even after I graduated. I’m sure his influence will stay with me for the rest of my life.
I’ll really miss him, and I just wanted to share how much he meant to me.
His academic toolbox was invaluable. The analyses he brought forward consistently sparked new ideas and challenged conventional thinking, inspiring those around him to think more deeply and creatively.
His life experience was perhaps even more invaluable, offering guidance on both life and career. His deeds themselves are something to learn from and serve as a true role model. At times, he reminded me of a gentleman from the golden age of human society — reflecting a traditional style that is rare today but genuinely admirable.
I feel truly fortunate to have had the opportunity to work with him. His passing is a great loss, and he will be deeply missed by all of us.
Imagine then our joy when we received an invitation from Prof. himself to interview at Bath University. We have laughed together so many times about the content of that ‘interview’ and the later admissions of Maamar’s woeful access to technology in his home studies, prior to coming under Prof’s wing. Prof saw something in Maamar however, that nobody else had searched for, and then mentored him to a level of excellence which has been of great benefit to their shared world of electrical machines.
On completion of Maamar’s PhD at Bath, Prof. then went on to help him secure his first significant role with Force Engineering – a turning point again in our fortunes. What followed has been nearly 35 years of inspiration, guidance and friendship. Always at the end of the phone, with time to share his wisdom, answer a question and be an excellent role model of academia and hard work. More than this he shared his love for his family, good food and holidays in hot countries with us too.
So, the Benarous family would like to say our final farewell and express the deepest of gratitude to our friend Prof. and thank you to his family, for sharing him with us.
Helen and Maamar.
Many things stand out, and the University of Bath has given us a fine and detailed account that belies Fred's personal modesty. His accomplishments reflect an extraordinary unity in linking advanced concepts with real-life applications (many of which are coming to fruition only now, as related technologies catch up). These accomplishments cover a wide range, not just in electric machines, and they are everywhere firmly supported by rigorous analysis and fundamental principles.
Although I never worked directly with Fred I know many people who did, and from their response to this sad news the human side of his professional life is very clear. I always felt privileged to experience this myself in our brief exchanges over what seems like a lifetime.
Fred was a lifelong learner — always curious and eager to explore new ideas. He had been preparing to join our Cryogenic Power Electronics Workshop on 27th October. The last thing he said to me was, “Time to learn something new.”
We are deeply saddened by the news of his passing. His unwavering support to me and to the Strathclyde Applied Superconductivity Laboratory will always be remembered and deeply appreciated.
What I remember about him, besides his great passion and competence, was his exceptional human side. I was a 27-year-old young man, proud to be able to work with him, and I was amazed by the respect he showed me and by his humility.
He has always remained in my heart as one of those people who contributed to my human and professional growth.
A warm embrace to his family and to all those who remember him today.
Later, in 1990, I arrived at Bath University, joining his research group (studying towards a Ph.D. degree), and he was my supervisor.
His guidance and teaching further explained, plus demonstrations - A continual industrial growth and progress as improvement achievement with success; have no meaning without Professor Eastham.
We were very fortunate to have him, a very special full human being, a legendary engineering role model, too.
I then met Fred by chance years later, in the crowd at a rugby match in Huddersfield where we had a lovely chat. More recently, he supported my admission as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh.
With condolences and best wishes to Fred's family and closest friends.
Shirley Xiaoze Pei, University of Bath.
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