J. R. Anthony Pearson graduated in mathematics from Trinity College, Cambridge, followed by an AM Harvard and a PhD in theoretical fluid mechanics from Cambridge. He worked at ICI and the Metal Box Company, before returning to Cambridge. Appointed Professor of Chemical Engineering at Imperial College in 1973, he specialised in polymer rheology and processing, publishing many papers and authoring Mechanics of Polymer Processing (1985). In 1982, Anthony joined Schlumberger Cambridge Research, where he has remained as Scientific Consultant since retirement.

He was a Member of International Geomechanical Commission for the French government, chaired the US Department of Energy’s panel assessing igneous consequences for nuclear repository, and has acted as an expert witness in several patent cases. He has held the position of Visiting Professor at the universities of Princeton, Rice, Stanford and Minnesota, and at MIT. He was Chairman of the British Society of Rheology and received their Gold Medal. Anthony is a Foreign Member of the US National Academy of Engineering and holds an honorary DSc from the University of Minnesota.