Announcing the passing of Professor J. Michael Rotter

Michael died peacefully at home on 9 August 2025, at the age of 76. A visionary structural engineer and a passionate academic, Michael made groundbreaking contributions to the understanding, analysis and design of thin-walled shell structures, silos and bulk solids storage facilities, tanks, and wind turbine support towers.

Whilst he published extensively, his most impactful and lasting legacy will be his visionary work on Australian and then Eurocode standards. In an age where academics often focus primarily on journal publications, Michael highlighted the importance and challenge of translating scientific findings into design standards that are then used by millions of engineers worldwide to design structures that underpin modern life. These standards ensure the safety and integrity of many aspects of the built environment including storage of grains that feed nations, vast bridges that connect communities and wind turbines that generate clean electricity.

Michael was the leading figure in developing five major Eurocodes: a general standard on thin-walled metal shell structures which was likely the first in the world to fully integrate the method of nonlinear finite element analysis for the purposes of structural design; one on plate assemblies for containment structures with exotic polygonal cross-sections; one on tank structures for storage of liquids and gases; and one on silo structures to store granular solids such as agricultural grains or industrial feedstock. Finally, there was one on the complex loadings on silos, a continuation of his early pioneering development of the still widely used documents for Standards Australia. 

Michael began his academic career at the University of Sydney before being appointed as the Professor of Civil Engineering and the Head of Department of Civil Engineering and Building Science at the University of Edinburgh in 1989. Under his vision and leadership, the department was transformed from an underperforming unit to become one of the top civil engineering departments in the UK. With the merging of departments that followed in 1992, he became the first Head of the Division of Engineering comprising the Chemical, Civil and Mechanical Engineering Disciplines.

Michael had a strong passion and dedication to teaching with a remarkable ability to present a difficult subject matter with clarity and humour. At Edinburgh, he was a very popular lecturer where he developed and presented courses ranging from the first year Engineering course to honours years courses in structural behaviour, structural form and design philosophy and a worldwide unique course dedicated to silos. He was a true inspiration to many cohorts of engineering graduates who remember him most fondly. 

His excellence was recognised with Fellowships of the Royal Academy of Engineering, the Royal Society of Edinburgh and the Institution of Civil Engineers UK. He was awarded the Charles Massonnet Award of the European Convention on Steel Structures in 2017 for his outstanding contribution to advancing the science of safe and economic design of metal structures. He was appointed the Royal Society Kan Tong Po Professor at The Hong Kong Polytechnic University in 2007. He received an Honorary Doctorate from the Karlsruhe Institute of Technology in 2018. He was a Visiting Professor at Imperial College London for many years.

Obituary

Read Michael's obituary published by the Scotsman.

Memorial service

A memorial service in celebration of Michael’s life will be held on Wednesday 3 September 2025, starting at 2:30pm at St Peter’s Episcopal Church, 14 Lutton Place, Edinburgh EH8 9PE. A reception will be held at the Church thereafter. All are welcome.

Watch the live stream of the service using password amber576.