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Scientists & Engineers

SCIENTISTS AND MATHEMATICIANS

Barnfield, John A
1965
Scientist in Canada, involved in overseas development in Haiti; outstanding cricketer and rugby footballer at KES, played for Warwickshire Second XI

Boot, Henry Albert Howard (Harry)
c 1935
Joint inventor of the cavity magnetron (the transmitter that was a vital part of radar) in 1939.

Birtles, Alastair
1969
Adjunct Associate Professor at James Cook University, Australia and leader of the Minke Whale Project (which has been conducting field studies since 1996) and other marine wildlife tourism projects. Also appeared on David Attenborough’s documentary, Great Barrier Reef, in 2016.  

Cartwright, Rodney Y
1958
Consultant microbiologist, Royal Surrey County Hospital, developed special interest in epidemiology and prevention of travel-associated infections and water-borne diseases; Visiting Professor of Clinical Microbiology, University of Surrey

Croxall, John P
1964
Marine ecologist and conservationist. Head of Conservation Biology, British Antarctic Survey (1976-2006); Chair, Royal Society for the Protection of Birds (1998-2003);Chair, Birdlife International Global Marine Programme (2006-2021); Emeritus Professor, Universities of Birmingham and Durham (1998); CBE (2004); FRS (2005); Polar Medal (1992) and Second Clasp (2004); Scientific Medal, Zoological Society of London (1984); President’s Medal, British Ecological Society (1995); Godman-Salvin Medal, British Ornithologists’ Union (2004).

Davis, Ben
1937
Home Office Consultant on Forensic Medicine.

Ehrhardt, Ernest Francis
c 1880
After distinguished scholastic career, including PhD at Munich, worked as chemist in Bavaria before World War I, attaining high position in German chemical and dyeing industries; returned to England on outbreak of war, became well-known in chemical world both in England and USA

Galton, Francis
1840
Kt, FRS; cousin of Charles Darwin; explorer in the Sudan and South-West Africa, anthropologist and meteorologist; established the existence of anticyclones and explained them; laid the foundations for the study of eugenics; responsible for important advances in the use of fingerprints for identification

Gane, Christopher
1957
Computer Systems Development Consultant in the USA; author of several authoritative books on computer systems.

Hall-Edwards, J F
1875
Pioneer of x-ray work following discovery of x-rays by Röntgen in 1896, appointed Radiographer to Birmingham General Hospital 1899; served as x-ray expert in Boer War, also commissioned in RAMC during World War I despite loss of forearm to x-ray dermatitis

Hereward, Hugh
1939
Acceleration physicist, one of the founders of CERN

Killworth, Peter
1964
English scientist known for his work on oceanography and on the study of social networks. He published more than 160 scientific papers over the course of his career. Known for his work as a pioneering author of text interactive fiction games during the early 1980s.

Lea, F M
1918
Kt; author of Chemistry of Cement and Concrete, knighted in 1966 on his retirement from the position of Director of the Building Research Station, which he held for 20 years

May, Alan Nunn
1929
Atomic scientist involved in passing information to Moscow. Professor of Physics, University of Ghana (1961-1976).

Myers, Walter
1882
Physician, toxicologist and parasitologist. Worked with Dr Herbert Durham in Brazil and they were among the first to establish that the transmission of yellow fever was through mosquito bites. Died of yellow fever aged 28 and is commemorated at Liverpool School of Tropical Medicine. 

Napier Shaw, William
1872
Kt; FRS (1891); Director of the Meteorological Office (1900-1920); Professor of Meteorology, Imperial College, London (1920-1924); President of the International Meteorological Society (1907-1923)

Nienow, Peter
1983
Professor, School of Geosciences, University of Edinburgh; awarded Polar Medal for glaciological research on the Greenland ice sheet in 2016; elected FRS Edinburgh in 2019

Tootill, Geoffrey C
1938
Along with FC Williams and Tom Kilburn made the world's first wholly electronic stored program computer, demonstrated in June 1948; worked for European Space Research Organisation (1963-1969)

Vane, John R
1944
Kt; Nobel Prize Winner (1982) for his work on prostaglandins; Director of Group Research and Development, the Wellcome Research Labs: Professor of Experimental Pharmacology, London University, FRS.

Wilkins, Maurice Hugh Frederick
1935
Professor of Biophysics, King's College, London (1970-1981); with Crick and Watson, shared the Nobel Prize for Medicine and Physiology for work on the structure of DNA (1962).


ENGINEERS

Barnes, Martin
1956
CBE; Fellow of the Royal Academy of Engineering; President of the Association for Project Management. Designer of the project management systems now used for all major civil engineering and construction projects in the UK. Author of the standard work on financial control of civil engineering projects.

Chalmers, David
1959
Naval Architect, involved with the work of the National Historic Ships Committee. One of the UK's leading ship structural experts, having written a definitive book on the subject and been a member of Lloyd's Register Technical Committee as well as an advisor in the 1990s to the US Navy. Currently a member of Council and Vice President of the Royal Institution of Naval Architects.

Osborne, Joe
2003
Software engineer, developer of SwiftKey; developed a communication system for Stephen Hawking

Smith, Michael Holroyd
1860s
Created first electric street tramway in UK (in Blackpool in 1865); responsible for electrification of City and South London Railway, now part of the Northern Line

Westwood, Albert R C 
1950
PhD, DSc; Past Chairman and Chief Executive, Central Labs of the UK Research Councils. Past Vice President, Sandia National Labs and Lockheed Martin Corporation. Past President, The Minerals, Metals and Materials Society and the Industrial Research Institute. Elected Member of the National Engineering Academies of the UK, USA, Russia, Georgia (FSU) and Sweden. Numerous publications, lectures and awards including the Beilby Gold Medal of the Royal Institute of Chemistry.