Voices of Science

Michael Parsons (1928-2021), civil engineer, played a leading role in the design of some of the world’s most iconic suspension bridges. He first became interested in bridge construction as an undergraduate at the University of Bristol and joined consulting engineers Freeman, Fox & Partners after graduation in 1949. Here he worked on structural calculations for the Forth and Severn suspensionbridges, making key contributions to the innovative box-girder design of the Severn Bridge, for which he also served as a resident engineer during construction in the 1960s. He worked on the design of the first Bosphorus Bridge and was project engineer, superstructure, for the Humber Bridge which, when it opened in 1981, was the longest suspension bridge in the world. His later work included major projects in India and Hong Kong.