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In Memoriam Paul Morris
It is with great sadness that IAWS shares news of the passing of Dr. Paul Morris, who died on 17 June 2026 at the age of 68. He is survived by his wife, Rae Collins.
Paul completed his PhD on the biological control of decay in poles under the supervision of Dr. David Dickinson at Imperial College London. In 1986, he and Rae emigrated to Vancouver, Canada, following an invitation from John Ruddick to join his research group at Forintek/UBC. There, Paul built a long and distinguished career within Forintek's Wood Protection group, based on the UBC campus, rising from scientist to Research Leader as the organisation evolved into what is now FPInnovations.
Paul was widely respected across the wood science community for his sharp mind, his good sense of humour, and — to those who knew him socially — his dance skills. He was very active in the International Research Group on Wood Protection (IRG), authoring or co-authoring 74 papers between 1981 and 2017, and also helped organise several IRG meetings. In 2013, he received the Award of Merit from the American Wood Protection Association, its highest honour, in recognition of his many contributions to wood protection standardization. In 2015, he became a Fellow of the IAWS.
Paul's contributions to wood protection science leave a lasting mark on our field. He will be greatly missed by the IAWS community and by colleagues around the world.
