Sir Harry Melville | |
|---|---|
| Principal ofQueen Mary College | |
| In office 1967–1976 | |
| Preceded by | Sir Thomas Percival Creed |
| Succeeded by | Sir James Woodham Mentor |
| Chairman of theScience Research Council | |
| In office 1965–1967 | |
| Preceded by | New post |
| Succeeded by | Brian Flowers, Baron Flowers |
| Permanent Secretary of theDepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research | |
| In office 1956–1965 | |
| Personal details | |
| Born | Harry Work Melville (1908-04-28)28 April 1908 Edinburgh, Scotland |
| Died | 14 June 2000(2000-06-14) (aged 92) |
| Spouse | |
| Children | Two |
| Education | Preston Street School George Heriot's School |
| Alma mater | Heriot-Watt College University of Edinburgh |
Sir Harry Work Melville,KCB, FRS, FRSE (27 April 1908 – 14 June 2000) was a Britishchemist, academic, andacademic administrator, who specialised inpolymer research. He spent his early career in academia as a lecturer and researcher, before moving into administration as a civil servant anduniversity college head.
He was afellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge, from 1933 to 1944,Professor of Chemistry at theUniversity of Aberdeen from 1945 to 1947, and Mason Professor of Chemistry at theUniversity of Birmingham from 1948 to 1956. Having moved into administration, he waspermanent secretary of theDepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research from 1956 to 1965, chairman of theScience Research Council from 1965 to 1967, andprincipal ofQueen Mary College from 1967 to 1976.
Melvin was elected to the fellowship of theRoyal Society of Edinburgh and of theRoyal Society. He was awardedMeldola Medal by theInstitute of Chemistry and theDavy Medal by the Royal Society. He gave theRoyal Institution Christmas Lectures in 1955 and the Royal Society'sBakerian Lecture in 1956. He was knighted as aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath in 1958.
Melville was born on 27 April 1908 inEdinburgh, Scotland.[1][2] He was the son of Thomas Melville and his wife, Esther Cumming Burnet Nicol. They lived at 233 Dalkeith Road in the south of Edinburgh.[3][4]
He was educated at Preston Street School, astate primary school in Edinburgh, and atGeorge Heriot's School, aprivate school inOld Town, Edinburgh.[5][6] He then studied for a year atHeriot-Watt College, atechnical college that specialised in engineering.[5]
Having won a scholarship as a Carnegie Scholar, Melville studied chemistry at theUniversity of Edinburgh.[5][6] He graduated with afirst class honours degree in 1930.[5] He was then awarded a Carnegie Research Scholarship and undertook research toward a doctorate.[2] He competed his Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) degree in 1933 and hisdoctoral thesis was titled "Investigation ofmolecular structure andchemical change by means ofband spectra".[5] He was awarded aDoctor of Science (DSc) degree, ahigher doctorate, by Edinburgh in 1935.[5]
In 1933, Melville was elected afellow ofTrinity College, Cambridge.[2] He also worked at theColloid Science Laboratory in Cambridge underEric Rideal, and in 1938 became its assistant director of research.[5] His research during this period was focused onpolymers.[2]
In 1939, Melville was appointed a professor as Chair of Chemistry at theUniversity of Aberdeen.[2] However, war broke out before he could take up the post.[6] DuringWorld War II, he worked for the British government. From 1940 to 1943, he served as Scientific Adviser to the Chief Superintendent of theMinistry of Supply, and was based atPorton Down.[5] Then, from 1943 to 1945, he served as superintendent of theRadar Research Station atMalvern, Worcestershire.[5]
After the war ended in 1945, Melville returned to the University of Aberdeen.[6] He worked there for the next three years, and his research was focused ongas kinetics and polymer kinetics.[5] In 1948, he moved to theUniversity of Birmingham, where he had been appointed Mason Professor of Chemistry.[2] There, he developed a team of doctoral students andpostdoctoral researchers who specialised inpolymer chemistry.[5]
In 1956, Melville moved in administration upon his appointment asPermanent Secretary of theDepartment of Scientific and Industrial Research.[2][7] From 1965 to 1967, he served as chairman of theScience Research Council, the newly created agency that took on oversight of publicly funded scientific research from the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research.[5] In 1967, he was appointedPrincipal ofQueen Mary College.[2] He retired in 1976.[7]
Melville was president of theFaraday Society, the leading British society for the study ofphysical chemistry, from 1958 to 1960. He was president of theChemical Society from 1966 to 1968.[8]
In 1981, Melville became a founding member of theWorld Cultural Council.[9]
In retirement, Melville maintained his links with academia and research. He was appointed a part-time member of theLondon Electricity Board in 1968.[10] He served as chair of the council ofWestfield College between 1977 and 1983.[5] He was also involved in fighting cuts to university funding.[5]
Melville died on 14 June 2000, aged 92.[6]
In 1942, Melville married Janet Marion Cameron; she survives him.[5] They had two daughters.[2]
In 1935, Melville was awarded theMeldola Medal by theInstitute of Chemistry.[11] In 1955, he was awarded theDavy Medal by theRoyal Society "in recognition of his distinguished work in physical chemistry and in polymer reactions".[12] In 1955, he gave theRoyal Institution Christmas Lectures on "Big Molecules".[5] In 1956, he was awarded the Bakerian Medal by the Royal Society and gave itsassociated lecture; it was titled "Addition polymerization".[5][13]
On 1 March 1937, Melville was elected aFellow of the Royal Society of Edinburgh (FRSE).[5] His proposers wereJames Pickering Kendall,John Edwin MacKenzie,Ernest Ludlam, andThomas Bolam. He won the society's Bruce Preller Prize for 1943 and their Gunning Victoria Jubillee Prize for the period 1952–1956.[14] In1941, he was elected aFellow of the Royal Society (FRS);[15] aged 33, he was one of the youngest ever to be elected to the fellowship.[6] In the1958 New Year Honours, he was appointed aKnight Commander of the Order of the Bath (KCB) for his services as secretary of the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research, and therefore granted the titlesir.[16]
In 1959, Melville was awarded anhonoraryDoctor of Science (DSc) by theUniversity of Exeter.[17] In 1966, he was awarded an honorary DSc degree byHeriot-Watt University.[18] In 1975, he was awarded an honorary degree by theUniversity of Essex.[19]
In 1990, theMelville Laboratory for Polymer Synthesis was established at theUniversity of Cambridge, being named in his honour.[20]
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