John Chubb obituary

My friend John Chubb, who has died aged 82, made a huge contribution to the study and understanding of electrostatics, a branch of physics that deals with the build-up of electric charges created by objects coming into contact with other surfaces - for instance, when a balloon is rubbed on to someone's hair.

John was responsible for many papers and conference presentations on the topic, and wrote an influential book, An Introduction to Electrostatic Measurements (2010), which provided many insights from his work over a 50-year period. He also created measuring instruments that are still commonly used in studies of electrostatic phenomena, including in the fields of industrial safety and lightning prediction, selling them through his own company, John Chubb Instrumentation. He took a great deal of interest in how his instruments were used, and was always ready to share his knowledge and experience with people who bought them.