Ruth Marion Lynden-Bell, FRS (born 7 December 1937) is a British chemist, emeritus professor of

Queen's University Belfast , mottoeng = For so much, what shall we give back? , top_free_label = , top_free = , top_free_label1 = , top_free1 = , top_free_label2 = , top_free2 = , established = , closed = , type = Public research university , parent = ...

and the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

, and acting President of

Murray Edwards College, Cambridge Murray Edwards College is a women-only constituent college of the University of Cambridge. It was founded in 1954 as New Hall. In 2008, following a donation of £30 million by alumna Ros Edwards and her husband Steve, it was renamed Murray Edwa ...

from 2011 to 2013.

Education

Ruth Lynden-Bell began her education at King Edward VI High School for Girls, Birmingham. She subsequently studied at

Newnham College, Cambridge Newnham College is a women's constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1871 by a group organising Lectures for Ladies, members of which included philosopher Henry Sidgwick and suffragist campaigner Millicent ...

(BA 1959, PhD 1962) and studied under Norman Sheppard. She briefly studied under the direction of Harden M. McConnell at

California Institute of Technology The California Institute of Technology (branded as Caltech or CIT)The university itself only spells its short form as "Caltech"; the institution considers other spellings such a"Cal Tech" and "CalTech" incorrect. The institute is also occasional ...

in 1961. Then she became a lecturer in chemistry at the

University of Sussex , mottoeng = Be Still and Know , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £14.4 million (2020) , budget = £319.6 million (2019–20) , chancellor = Sanjeev Bhaskar , vice_chancellor = Sasha Roseneil , ...

in 1965, and returned to Cambridge in 1972. In 1995, she moved to Queen's University Belfast as a co-founder of the interdisciplinary Atomistic Simulation Group (now the Atomistic Simulation Centre). She was elected to the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, r ...

in 2006(19 May 2006)
Royal Society Elections
''

'', Department of Chemistry, Theoretical Chemistry News Page. Retrieved 2 December 2010 and was awarded a

Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1925 under the will of the 1st Viscount Leverhulme (1851–1925), with the instruction that its resources should be used to suppo ...

in 2003.Awards to Individuals 2003
''

Leverhulme Trust The Leverhulme Trust () is a large national grant-making organisation in the United Kingdom The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern Ireland, commonly known as the United Kingdom (UK) or Britain, is a country in Europe, off the n ...

''. Retrieved 2 December 2010

Research

Lynden-Bell researches atomistic simulation to investigate the properties of liquids. She is an Emerita Fellow of New Hall, Cambridge (now

), and was an Associate of

. She was acting President of Murray Edwards College from January to December 2012. She has served on the editorial boards of the

Journal of Chemical Physics ''The Journal of Chemical Physics'' is a scientific journal published by the American Institute of Physics that carries research papers on chemical physics.Chemical Physics Letters ''Chemical Physics Letters'' is a biweekly peer-reviewed scientific journal covering research in chemical physics and physical chemistry. It was established in 1967 and is published by Elsevier. The editors-in-chief An editor-in-chief (EIC), also ...

and Science and was an editor of ''

Molecular Physics Molecular physics is the study of the physical properties of molecules and molecular dynamics. The field overlaps significantly with physical chemistry, chemical physics, and quantum chemistry. It is often considered as a sub-field of atomic, mo ...

'' from 1998 to 2003, as well as having been a member of Boards of Electors to Professorial positions in Sweden, the Republic of Ireland, and Oxford and Cambridge Universities. She was a Professor in the School of Mathematics and Physics at Queen's and still collaborates on research.Honorary Degree information from

Personal life

She was the daughter of David and Priscilla Truscott. Priscilla was the sister of Francis Skinner. Lynden-Bell married the astronomer Donald Lynden-Bell in 1961, then a researcher at Caltech; she joined him in California, then moved with him to Cambridge in 1962, to Sussex in 1964, and back to Cambridge in 1972. They had one son and one daughter. Ruth Lynden-Bell had her first child while at

lecturing in a half-time position. She found that being an experimental spectroscopic chemist was highly conducive to her expectations as a mother. Her advice to women in the field is: 1.)" don’t be afraid to ask for things such as part time work. Apart from the Belfast job, every job I got was by asking for it", and 2.) "when opportunities arise take them, it’s worth trying. I never imagined going to Belfast". Lynden-Bell's professional and personal life is featured in the

Royal Society of Chemistry The Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) is a learned society (professional association) in the United Kingdom with the goal of "advancing the chemistry, chemical sciences". It was formed in 1980 from the amalgamation of the Chemical Society, the Ro ...

's book ''Parent Carer Scientist.''

Awards

She received an honorary doctorate from

in 2009Torney, Kathryn (6 July 2009)
Queen's University of Belfast Graduations
''

The Belfast Telegraph The ''Belfast Telegraph'' is a daily newspaper published in Belfast, Northern Ireland, by Independent News & Media. Its editor is Eoin Brannigan. Reflecting its unionist tradition, the paper has historically been "favoured by the Protestant pop ...

''. Retrieved 2 December 2010 ("Queen's University professor Emerita Ruth Lynden-Bell will be awarded Doctorates of Science for distinction in chemistry at a ceremony tonight.") and was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society Fellowship of the Royal Society (FRS, ForMemRS and HonFRS) is an award granted by the judges of the Royal Society of London to individuals who have made a "substantial contribution to the improvement of natural knowledge, including mathematic ...

in 2006.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Lynden-Bell, Ruth Female Fellows of the Royal Society Living people British chemists Place of birth missing (living people) 1937 births Presidents of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge Academics of Queen's University Belfast Alumni of Newnham College, Cambridge Academics of the University of Sussex Fellows of New Hall, Cambridge Academics of the University of Cambridge Fellows of Murray Edwards College, Cambridge Fellows of the Royal Society