Ray W Ogden: An Appreciation

Abstract

This special issue of Mathematics and Mechanics of Solids is dedicated to Professor Ray Ogden FRS on the occasion of his 70th birthday. It is a companion volume to another special issue edited by our colleagues Roger Bustamente, Jose Merodio and David Steigmann at the IMA Journal of Applied Mathematics. Ray Ogden’s work has had a major influence in the broad field of solid mechanics, within the context of continuum mechanics. It continues to do so as can be checked by looking at the exponential rise of his citation count, totaling according to Google Scholar more than 15,000 to date, with an h-index of 51. Whatever value we attach to bibliometric indicators, these numbers clearly point to a deep and profound impact. Here, instead of presenting the long list of his achievements, awards and publications (to be found elsewhere), we prefer to highlight three of the themes for which his work has received the most attention. Needless to say, the spectrum of his abilities is far wider.