David Parker Craig (23 December 1919 – 1 July 2015), an Australian chemist, was the Foundation Professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry and later Emeritus Professor in the Research School of Chemistry at the

Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies and ...

Canberra Canberra ( ) is the capital city of Australia. Founded following the federation of the colonies of Australia as the seat of government for the new nation, it is Australia's largest inland city and the eighth-largest city overall. The ci ...

. Born in Sydney, Craig was educated at the

University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's si ...

, receiving a

Bachelor of Science A Bachelor of Science (BS, BSc, SB, or ScB; from the Latin ') is a bachelor's degree awarded for programs that generally last three to five years. The first university to admit a student to the degree of Bachelor of Science was the University of ...

with

Honours Honour (British English) or honor (American English; see spelling differences) is the idea of a bond between an individual and a society as a quality of a person that is both of social teaching and of personal ethos, that manifests itself as a ...

in 1940 and a

Master of Science A Master of Science ( la, Magisterii Scientiae; abbreviated MS, M.S., MSc, M.Sc., SM, S.M., ScM or Sc.M.) is a master's degree in the field of science awarded by universities in many countries or a person holding such a degree. In contrast to ...

in 1941. He was awarded a

Doctor of Philosophy A Doctor of Philosophy (PhD, Ph.D., or DPhil; Latin: or ') is the most common Academic degree, degree at the highest academic level awarded following a course of study. PhDs are awarded for programs across the whole breadth of academic fields ...

degree from the

University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...

in 1949. He was a

captain Captain is a title, an appellative for the commanding officer of a military unit; the supreme leader of a navy ship, merchant ship, aeroplane, spacecraft, or other vessel; or the commander of a port, fire or police department, election precinct, e ...

in the

Second Australian Imperial Force The Second Australian Imperial Force (2nd AIF, or Second AIF) was the name given to the volunteer expeditionary force of the Australian Army in the Second World War. It was formed following the declaration of war on Nazi Germany, with an initial ...

from 1942 to 1944. Craig was a lecturer in physical chemistry, at the University of Sydney from 1944 to 1946, a Turner and Newall Research Fellow and Lecturer at

University College, London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = � ...

from 1946 to 1952, Professor in physical chemistry at the University of Sydney from 1952 to 1956 and Professor in theoretical chemistry at University College, London from 1956 to 1967. He was a Fellow of 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, re ...

, the

Royal Society of New South Wales The Royal Society of New South Wales is a learned society based in Sydney, Australia. The Governor of New South Wales is the vice-regal patron of the Society. The Society was established as the Philosophical Society of Australasia on 27 June ...

, the

Australian Academy of Science The Australian Academy of Science was founded in 1954 by a group of distinguished Australians, including Australian Fellows of the Royal Society of London. The first president was Sir Mark Oliphant. The academy is modelled after the Royal Soci ...

, a former President of AAS, and a Member of the

International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science The International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science (IAQMS) is an international scientific learned society covering all applications of quantum theory to chemistry and chemical physics. It was created in Menton in 1967. The founding members wer ...

. In 1985 he was appointed an

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

(AO) "in recognition of service to the community, particularly in the field of physical chemistry",Officer of the Order of Australia (AO)
10 June 1985, It's an Honour and was a recipient of the

Centenary Medal The Centenary Medal is an award which was created by the Australian Government in 2001. It was established to commemorate the centenary of the Federation of Australia and to recognise "people who made a contribution to Australian society or go ...

"for service to Australian society and science in theoretical chemistry". Centenary Medal
1 January 2001, It's an Honour

Family

David Craig married Veronica (Ronia) Bryden-Brown on 25 August 1948, in Caversham, England. Ronia was the daughter of Cyril Bryden-Brown and Kathleen (née Parkinson), who was born in

Cooma Cooma is a town in the south of New South Wales, Australia. It is located south of the national capital, Canberra, via the Monaro Highway. It is also on the Snowy Mountains Highway, connecting Bega with the Riverina. At the , Cooma had a po ...

, New South Wales. David and Ronia had four children: Andrew, Hugh, Mary Louise and Douglas. Aged 95, Craig died on 1 July 2015 at

Calvary Hospital, Canberra Calvary Public Hospital Bruce is a public hospital located in Bruce, Australian Capital Territory serving the northern suburbs of Canberra. It is classified as a secondary care facility. The hospital is operated by Calvary Health Care ACT, a not ...

References

External links

An interview with Professor David CraigHis International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science page
1919 births 2015 deaths Alumni of University College London Australian Army officers Australian chemists Australian Army personnel of World War II Academic staff of the Australian National University Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Fellows of the Royal Society Fellows of the Royal Society of New South Wales Members of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science Officers of the Order of Australia University of Sydney alumni Computational chemists Presidents of the Australian Academy of Science {{chemist-stub

Family

See also

References

External links