William Douglas Allen
Encyclopedia
William Douglas Allen was a physicist
and electrical engineer.
Allen was born 27 July 1914 in Mussooree, Uttar Pradesh
, India
. He was educated in South Australia
at Prince Alfred College
and the University of Adelaide
(BSc(Hons), 1935). In 1937 was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
to New College, Oxford
where he completed a D.Phil. in 1940.
During the war, he completed his D.Phil. and from 1939 to 1944 worked as a scientific officer at the UK Ministry of Aircraft Production's Telecommunications Research Establishment
. In 1944 he moved to the USA to work as a scientific officer on the Manhattan Project
.
In 1946 he returned to Australia to work at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney. However, later in 1946 he returned to Britain and commenced a 30 year career as a physicist in the UK. From 1946 to 1961, he worked at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment
in Harwell, and from 1961 to 1977, at the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory
.
In 1966 he became Professor of Engineering at the University of Reading
. He retired from Rutherford in 1977, and Reading in 1978, and took on the roles of Visiting Professor: 1978-79 he was Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of the West Indies
, Barbados, and 1979-81 he was Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton
, UK.
Physicist
A physicist is a scientist who studies or practices physics. Physicists study a wide range of physical phenomena in many branches of physics spanning all length scales: from sub-atomic particles of which all ordinary matter is made to the behavior of the material Universe as a whole...
and electrical engineer.
Allen was born 27 July 1914 in Mussooree, Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh
Uttar Pradesh abbreviation U.P. , is a state located in the northern part of India. With a population of over 200 million people, it is India's most populous state, as well as the world's most populous sub-national entity...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
. He was educated in South Australia
South Australia
South Australia is a state of Australia in the southern central part of the country. It covers some of the most arid parts of the continent; with a total land area of , it is the fourth largest of Australia's six states and two territories.South Australia shares borders with all of the mainland...
at Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College
Prince Alfred College is an independent, day and boarding school for boys, located on Dequetteville Terrace, Kent Town, near the centre of Adelaide, South Australia...
and the University of Adelaide
University of Adelaide
The University of Adelaide is a public university located in Adelaide, South Australia. Established in 1874, it is the third oldest university in Australia...
(BSc(Hons), 1935). In 1937 was awarded a Rhodes Scholarship
Rhodes Scholarship
The Rhodes Scholarship, named after Cecil Rhodes, is an international postgraduate award for study at the University of Oxford. It was the first large-scale programme of international scholarships, and is widely considered the "world's most prestigious scholarship" by many public sources such as...
to New College, Oxford
New College, Oxford
New College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in the United Kingdom.- Overview :The College's official name, College of St Mary, is the same as that of the older Oriel College; hence, it has been referred to as the "New College of St Mary", and is now almost always...
where he completed a D.Phil. in 1940.
Career
From 1935 to 1937, Allen worked as a "Junior Demonstrator" on the staff of the Department of Physics of the University of Adelaide before proceeding to Oxford as a Rhodes Scholar.During the war, he completed his D.Phil. and from 1939 to 1944 worked as a scientific officer at the UK Ministry of Aircraft Production's Telecommunications Research Establishment
Telecommunications Research Establishment
The Telecommunications Research Establishment was the main United Kingdom research and development organization for radio navigation, radar, infra-red detection for heat seeking missiles, and related work for the Royal Air Force during World War II and the years that followed. The name was...
. In 1944 he moved to the USA to work as a scientific officer on the Manhattan Project
Manhattan Project
The Manhattan Project was a research and development program, led by the United States with participation from the United Kingdom and Canada, that produced the first atomic bomb during World War II. From 1942 to 1946, the project was under the direction of Major General Leslie Groves of the US Army...
.
In 1946 he returned to Australia to work at the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Radiophysics Laboratory in Sydney. However, later in 1946 he returned to Britain and commenced a 30 year career as a physicist in the UK. From 1946 to 1961, he worked at the Atomic Energy Research Establishment
Atomic Energy Research Establishment
The Atomic Energy Research Establishment near Harwell, Oxfordshire, was the main centre for atomic energy research and development in the United Kingdom from the 1940s to the 1990s.-Founding:...
in Harwell, and from 1961 to 1977, at the Rutherford High Energy Laboratory
Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
The Rutherford Appleton Laboratory is one of the national scientific research laboratories in the UK operated by the Science and Technology Facilities Council . It is located on the Harwell Science and Innovation Campus at Chilton near Didcot in Oxfordshire, United Kingdom...
.
In 1966 he became Professor of Engineering at the University of Reading
University of Reading
The University of Reading is a university in the English town of Reading, Berkshire. The University was established in 1892 as University College, Reading and received its Royal Charter in 1926. It is based on several campuses in, and around, the town of Reading.The University has a long tradition...
. He retired from Rutherford in 1977, and Reading in 1978, and took on the roles of Visiting Professor: 1978-79 he was Visiting Professor of Physics at the University of the West Indies
University of the West Indies
The University of the West Indies , is an autonomous regional institution supported by and serving 17 English-speaking countries and territories in the Caribbean: Anguilla, Antigua and Barbuda, The Bahamas, Barbados, Belize, Bermuda, the British Virgin Islands, the Cayman Islands, Dominica,...
, Barbados, and 1979-81 he was Visiting Professor of Electrical Engineering at the University of Southampton
University of Southampton
The University of Southampton is a British public university located in the city of Southampton, England, a member of the Russell Group. The origins of the university can be dated back to the founding of the Hartley Institution in 1862 by Henry Robertson Hartley. In 1902, the Institution developed...
, UK.
Publications
- Some observations on the interface of mercury against water and aqueous solutions, with R.S. Burdon & J.W. Lillywhite, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science. Report of the Meeting., 23 (Auckland, 1937), 19.
- Spreading with uniform acceleration, with K. Grant & R.S. Burdon, Faraday Society, London. Transactions., 33 (1937), 1531-1532.
- Neutron detection, W.D. Allen, London : George Newnes, [c1960].
Sources
- Allen, William Douglas (1914 - ), Bright Sparcs
- 'Allen, William Douglas', in Physics in Australia to 1945, R.W. Home, with the assistance of Paula J. Needham, Australian Science Archives Project, June 1995, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/physics/P001585p.htm.
- William Douglas Allen's obituary