Blue plaque unveiled in region in honour of Newcastle University Geology graduate and former Pro-Vice-Chancellor
South Tyneside Council has this week erected a blue plaque in honour of Professor Paul Younger, Newcastle’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement, who dedicated his career to tackling one of the greatest societal challenges of our age: Sustainability.
30 October 2025
A blue plaque honouring the life and career of Newcastle University graduate and colleague Professor Paul Younger was unveiled at a ceremony in Hebburn on 27 October.
The plaque was erected on the Paul Younger Centre in Hebburn town centre, which is named after the former Geology student who grew up in the area.
Paul joined Newcastle University as a Geology undergraduate in the early 1980s. He lived in Leazes Terrace student accommodation as a Fresher and was involved in the Gilbert and Sullivan Society at the Students’ Union. After graduating in 1984, Paul remained at our School of Engineering to complete a PhD in Civil Engineering in 1990, before joining the University as a colleague.
Paul worked his way up to become Newcastle’s first Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Engagement and held the position of Director of the Newcastle Institute for Research on Sustainability (NIReS) before leaving Newcastle in 2012 after his appointment as the Rankine Chair of Engineering at Glasgow University.
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Regarded as one of the world’s foremost experts in the remediation of pollution associated with mining, a highlight of his career was leading the research team which won Newcastle University its first Queen's Anniversary Prize for Higher Education in 2005. Paul was also honoured as a Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering in 2007 and as a Fellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh in 2016.
In the region, Paul was a driving force behind the bid to make Newcastle a City of Science and Technology and led the pioneering research to drill for geothermal energy in the heart of Newcastle, was the ‘Go Green Doctor’ columnist for Newcastle Chronicle - answering members of the public’s questions about sustainability – and was appointed as a Deputy Lieutenant of Tyne and Wear in recognition of his support to the local community.
Paul died in April 2018 at the age of 55. In 2024, the Paul Younger Centre in his hometown of Hebburn opened, an innovative renewable energy centre that uses air source heat pumps to provide renewable heating and hot water.
The centre's two-stage 450kw air source heat pump solution takes ambient heat from the air and converts it into hot water to provide low carbon heating. It has allowed the Council to reduce its reliance on traditional, gas-fired boilers, and is helping to cut carbon emissions by around 320 tonnes per year. Electricity generated locally using solar panels and a Combined Heat and Power unit helps to power the system.
It is at the Paul Younger Centre that a commemorative plaque has been installed by South Tyneside Council, celebrating Paul’s legacy in the community.
Image credits: Shields Gazette & Tricia Melia
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