Gillian Anne Gehring (born Gillian Anne Murray, 19 May 1941) is a British academic physicist, and emeritus Professor of Physics in the Department of Physics and Astronomy at the
University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
. She was the second woman in the UK to become a Professor of Physics and in 2009 won the
Nevill Mott Medal and Prize
The Nevill Mott Medal and Prize is an award presented in selected years by the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom, for distinguished research in condensed matter or materials physics. It was first established in 1997 thanks to a donation ...
.
Early life and education
Gehring was born in
Nottingham
Nottingham ( , East Midlands English, locally ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city and Unitary authorities of England, unitary authority area in Nottinghamshire, East Midlands, England. It is located north-west of London, south-east ...
, where she attended school.
[Women in science and engineering](_blank)
/ref> She studied Physics at the Victoria University of Manchester
The Victoria University of Manchester, usually referred to as simply the University of Manchester, was a university in Manchester, England. It was founded in 1851 as Owens College. In 1880, the college joined the federal Victoria University. Afte ...
from 1959 to 1962 and from 1962 to 1963 she studied for the Diploma in Advanced Studies. From 1963 to 1965, she studied for a DPhil in Theoretical Physics
Theoretical physics is a branch of physics that employs mathematical models and abstractions of physical objects and systems to rationalize, explain and predict natural phenomena. This is in contrast to experimental physics, which uses experim ...
at the University of Oxford
, mottoeng = The Lord is my light
, established =
, endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019)
, budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20)
, chancellor ...
.
Career and research
From 1965 to 1968, Gehring was a Leverhulme Fellow
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 ...
at St Hugh's College, Oxford
St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepte ...
, and then a NATO fellow at the University of California at Berkeley
The University of California, Berkeley (UC Berkeley, Berkeley, Cal, or California) is a public land-grant research university in Berkeley, California. Established in 1868 as the University of California, it is the state's first land-grant univ ...
. From 1968 to 1989, Gehring was a lecturer in th
Department of Theoretical Physics
and a Tutorial Fellow at St Hugh's College, Oxford
St Hugh's College is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford. It is located on a site on St Margaret's Road, to the north of the city centre. It was founded in 1886 by Elizabeth Wordsworth as a women's college, and accepte ...
. From 1989 to 2006, Gehring was Professor of Solid-State Physics
Solid-state physics is the study of rigid matter, or solids, through methods such as quantum mechanics, crystallography, electromagnetism, and metallurgy. It is the largest branch of condensed matter physics. Solid-state physics studies how the l ...
at the University of Sheffield
, mottoeng = To discover the causes of things
, established = – University of SheffieldPredecessor institutions:
– Sheffield Medical School – Firth College – Sheffield Technical School – University College of Sheffield
, type = Pu ...
and was the only female professor in the Physics department.
Gehring's research field is theoretical and experimental magnetism, and she has made major contributions to research projects concerned with orbital ordering and the co-operative Jahn-Teller effect.
Gehring has an interest in women in science
The presence of women in science spans the earliest times of the history of science wherein they have made significant contributions. Historians with an interest in gender and science have researched the scientific endeavors and accomplishments ...
. She sat on the Administrative Board of the European Platform for Women in Science, served on the Institute of Physics’ Women in Physics Group, and chaired the Women’s Group of the European Physical Society.
Awards and honours
* 2009 — Institute of Physics
The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, research and application.
It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide membership of over 20,000. The IOP is the Physica ...
Nevill Mott Medal and Prize
The Nevill Mott Medal and Prize is an award presented in selected years by the Institute of Physics in the United Kingdom, for distinguished research in condensed matter or materials physics. It was first established in 1997 thanks to a donation ...
* 2005 — OBE, 2005 Birthday Honours
The Birthday Honours 2005 for the Commonwealth realms were announced on 11 June 2005 to celebrate the Queen's Birthday of
2005. The recipients of honours are displayed here as they were styled before their new honour, and arranged first by the coun ...
, for services to Physics and to Equal Opportunities.
Personal life
In 1968, she married Karl Gehring. She had two daughters in 1979 and 1981.
Publications
* Sharma, P., A. Gupta, K. V. Rao, F. J. Owens, R. Sharma, R. Ahuja, J. M. Osorio Guillen, B. Johansson and G. A. Gehring, "Ferromagnetism above room temperature in bulk and transparent thin films of Mn-doped ZnO," ''Nature Materials'' 2, 673 (2003). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/nmat984
* Gehring, G. A. and K. A. Gehring, "Co-operative Jahn-Teller effects," ''Rep. Prog. Phys.'' 38, 1 (1975). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1088/0034-4885/38/1/001
* Behan, A. J., A. Mokhtari, H. J. Blythe, D. Score, X.-H. Xu, J. R. Neal, A. M. Fox, and G. A. Gehring, "Two Magnetic Regimes in Doped ZnO Corresponding to a Dilute Magnetic Semiconductor and a Dilute Magnetic Insulator," ''Phys. Rev. Lett.'' 100, 047206 (2008). DOI: https://doi.org/10.1103/PhysRevLett.100.047206
See also
* List of organizations for women in science
This is a list of notable organizations for women in science and, more generally; science, technology, engineering, and math.
General STEM-oriented groups
International groups who cover the general topics of science, technology, engineering, and m ...
References
External links
University of Sheffield
*
{{DEFAULTSORT:Gehring, Gillian
1941 births
Academics of the University of Sheffield
Alumni of the Victoria University of Manchester
English physicists
20th-century British physicists
21st-century British physicists
British women physicists
Fellows of St Hugh's College, Oxford
Fellows of the Institute of Physics
Officers of the Order of the British Empire
People from Nottingham
British physicists
English women physicists
Living people
20th-century English women
20th-century English people
21st-century English women
21st-century English people