Obituary for Dr Mike Hogg
It is with great sadness that we inform you of the death of our well-loved and respected colleague, Dr Mike Hogg, who passed away unexpectedly in August.
Mike was a Senior Teaching Fellow in Engineering and Physical Sciences. He thoroughly enjoyed teaching Mechanical Science to students on the Engineering Foundation Year which he found hugely rewarding. He also shared responsibility for teaching an academic skills module: Routes to Success.
After 25 years in retail management, Mike returned to education as a mature Foundation Year student at Southampton in 2005 and undertook a BSc in Mathematics in 2006, graduating in 2009 with 1st class honours.
“Living within half a mile of Southampton University, my decision to study here was not a hard one to make,” said Mike in a student profile. “I do feel fortunate that, having decided to return to education, I was living close to such a centre of excellence.”
His decision to continue into post graduate research was first motivated by the award of a Nuffield Research Scholarship at the end of his BSc. He was offered the chance to study for a PhD in the General Relativity Group within Mathematical Sciences.
In Mike’s PhD thesis, available on eprints, he thanks his supervisor Professor Nils Andersson, and also makes special mention of Dr Jim Renshaw, his undergraduate personal tutor, and Professor James Vickers, who obtained the Nuffield Scholarship.
During his PhD Mike also worked as a teaching assistant on the same Foundation Year which he had studied, and when he finished his PhD in 2013, was appointed as a lecturer on that same programme.
Mike was a father of three grown children. He loved music, darts, adored Saints FC, was a fan of science fiction, excelled at Scrabble and cryptic crosswords and loved to read about ancient history. He also enjoyed magic and often did magic shows for adults with learning disabilities, mental health issues and dementia at R Community in St Denys, as well as in his lectures for students.
In a tribute published by the Daily Echo, Mike’s partner Brigid described him as “a very kind person who put quite a lot of effort into helping others and never wanted anything in return. He was always happy, optimistic and cheerful. A lot of people loved him.”