Paul G. Slade has been an independent consultant for vacuum interrupter technology, electrical contacts and circuit interruption, since his retirement. He is also the holder of 23 US patents. He is the major contributor and editor of the 2nd edition of the book “Electrical Contacts: Principles and Applications”. He is the recipient of the IEEE Ragnar Holm Scientific Achievement Award and of the German VDE Albert Keil Pries for his contributions to the science of electrical contacts. He is a fellow of the IEEE.