Professor Alan Traviss Welford, 1978

About Alan Welford (1914-1995)

Professor Alan Travis Welford, ScD (Camb), MA (Prin.), FASSA, 1968-1979, (Emeritus Professor 1979).

Alan was educated at University College School, London and at St John's College, Cambridge. He started work as a research student at Cambridge and ended as adjunct Professor at the University of Hawaii. Following about 30 years in Cambridge, he was Professor of Psychology for a decade at the University of Adelaide.

Alan's contribution to ergonomics was in the area of performance, skill and ageing and its impact on industry. He was interested in measuring performance at manipulatory tasks by recording time and errors in total and in parts or aspects of tasks. At the Nuffield Unit in Cambridge where Alan worked, researchers were also interested in what the subject said and the way they approached the task as well as the performance measures. At the time, this anecdotal evidence was considered contrary to proper and rigorous science.

For further information: Singleton. W. (1997) A T Welford - a commemorative review. Ergonomics, Vol 40, No2; 125-140.