Alan Bernard Lidiard (9 May 1928 – 21 November 2020), or A. B. Lidiard, was a British condensed matter physicist known for his research into defects in materials.
Education and career
Lidiard studied theoretical physics under
Charles Coulson
Charles Alfred Coulson (13 December 1910 – 7 January 1974) was a British applied mathematician and theoretical chemist.
Coulson's major scientific work was as a pioneer of the application of the quantum theory of valency to problems of ...
at
King's College London
King's College London (informally King's or KCL) is a public university, public research university in London, England. King's was established by royal charter in 1829 under the patronage of George IV of the United Kingdom, King George IV ...
, obtaining an MSc in 1950 and a PhD in 1952.
He spent two years as a
Fulbright scholar
The Fulbright Program, including the Fulbright–Hays Program, is one of several United States cultural exchange programs with the goal of improving intercultural relations, cultural diplomacy, and intercultural competence between the peopl ...
in the USA, first as a research assistant for
Friedrich Seitz
Friedrich Seitz (12 June 1848, Günthersleben-Wechmar, Saxe-Coburg and Gotha – 22 May 1918) was a German Romantic Era composer. He was a violinist who served as a concertmaster, who wrote chamber music and eight student concertos for the vio ...
at the
University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign
The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign (UIUC, U of I, Illinois, or University of Illinois) is a public university, public land-grant university, land-grant research university in the Champaign–Urbana metropolitan area, Illinois, United ...
and then under
Charles Kittel
Charles Kittel (July 18, 1916 – May 15, 2019) was an American physicist. He was a professor at the University of California, Berkeley from 1951 and was professor emeritus from 1978 until his death. He is known for co-introducing the Ruderman†...
at
University of California, Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California), is a Public university, public Land-grant university, land-grant research university in Berkeley, California, United States. Founded in 1868 and named after t ...
. He took up a research fellowship in the Theoretical Division at
Atomic Energy Research Establishment
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE), also known as Harwell Laboratory, was the main Headquarters, centre for nuclear power, atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from 1946 to the 1990s. It was created, owned ...
in
Harwell. Between 1957 and 1961, he was a Lecturer in Theoretical Physics at
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a public research university in Reading, Berkshire, England. It was founded in 1892 as the University Extension College, Reading, an extension college of Christchurch College, Oxford, and became University College, ...
. He returned to Harwell and set up the radiation damage theory group in the Theoretical Physics Division (TPD). Lidiard became the head of the TPD in 1966 until his retirement. Afterwards, he moved to the Department of Physics at University of Reading and the Department of Theoretical Chemistry at
Oxford University
The University of Oxford is a collegiate research university in Oxford, England. There is evidence of teaching as early as 1096, making it the oldest university in the English-speaking world and the second-oldest continuously operating u ...
.
Honors and awards
Lidiard was awarded the
Guthrie Medal in 1988. He was a
Fellow of the Institute of Physics
Fellowship of the Institute of Physics (FInstP) is "the highest level of membership attainable" by physicists who are members of the Institute of Physics (IoP), "for those with a degree in physics or related subject (or equivalent knowledge gaine ...
and a
Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry
Fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (FRSC) is one of the most prestigious awards conferred by the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) in the United Kingdom. Existing Fellows include award winning scientists and Nobel prize winners.
FRSC awa ...
.
Personal life
Lidiard married three times. He has two daughters from his second marriage.
Bibliography
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See also
*
Marshall Stoneham
Arthur Marshall Stoneham, FRS (18 May 1940 – 18 February 2011), known as Marshall Stoneham, was a British physicist who worked for the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority, and from 1995 was Massey professor of physics at University College ...
*
Richard Catlow
Sir Charles Richard Arthur Catlow FLSW (born 24 April 1947) is a British chemist and professor at University College London and Cardiff University. Previously, he was Director of the Davy-Faraday Research Laboratory (1998–2007), and Wolfson ...
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lidiard, Alan
1928 births
2020 deaths
Alumni of King's College London
Academics of the University of Reading
British physicists
Condensed matter physicists
Academics of the University of Oxford
People from Waltham St Lawrence