Kenneth George Denbigh FRS (30 May 1911 – 23 January 2004) was an English

chemical engineer In the field of engineering, a chemical engineer is a professional, equipped with the knowledge of chemical engineering, who works principally in the chemical industry to convert basic raw materials into a variety of products and deals with the ...

and scientific philosopher. He wrote much on the issue of time in relation to

thermodynamics Thermodynamics is a branch of physics that deals with heat, work, and temperature, and their relation to energy, entropy, and the physical properties of matter and radiation. The behavior of these quantities is governed by the four laws of the ...

. He was an associate of the Russian chemist Georgi Gladyshev. The

University of Edinburgh The University of Edinburgh ( sco, University o Edinburgh, gd, Oilthigh Dhùn Èideann; abbreviated as ''Edin.'' in post-nominals) is a public research university based in Edinburgh, Scotland. Granted a royal charter by King James VI in 15 ...

named the Kenneth Denbigh Building at

King's Buildings The King's Buildings (colloquially known as just King's or KB) is a campus of the University of Edinburgh in Scotland. Located in the suburb of Blackford, the site contains most of the schools within the College of Science and Engineering, exc ...

in his honour. They also offer a Kenneth Denbigh Scholarship to science students. Th
School of Engineering of The University of Edinburgh
awards the Kenneth Denbigh Medal in support of his scientific legacy. The Medal has been first established in 2023 and awarded during th
10th Heat Powered Cycles Conference

Life

He was born in

Luton Luton () is a town and unitary authority with borough status, in Bedfordshire, England. At the 2011 census, the Luton built-up area subdivision had a population of 211,228 and its built-up area, including the adjacent towns of Dunstable an ...

on 30 May 1911 the son of George Denbigh, manager of Brothertons Chemical Works in

Wakefield Wakefield is a cathedral city in West Yorkshire, England located on the River Calder. The city had a population of 99,251 in the 2011 census.https://www.nomisweb.co.uk/census/2011/ks101ew Census 2011 table KS101EW Usual resident population, ...

. He attended the

University of Leeds , mottoeng = And knowledge will be increased , established = 1831 – Leeds School of Medicine1874 – Yorkshire College of Science1884 - Yorkshire College1887 – affiliated to the federal Victoria University1904 – University of Leeds , ...

graduating with a BSc in 1932. He then undertook his doctorate under Robert Whytlaw-Gray gaining a PhD in 1934. He worked for

Imperial Chemical Industries Imperial Chemical Industries (ICI) was a British chemical company. It was, for much of its history, the largest manufacturer in Britain. It was formed by the merger of four leading British chemical companies in 1926. Its headquarters were at M ...

(ICI) until 1938 when obtained a post of Lecturer in Chemistry at the

University of Southampton , mottoeng = The Heights Yield to Endeavour , type = Public research university , established = 1862 – Hartley Institution1902 – Hartley University College1913 – Southampton University Coll ...

.The Independent (newspaper): obituary 24 February 2004 In the

Second World War World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

he was taken back into industry, as head of the laboratories for the

Royal Ordnance Factory Royal Ordnance Factories (ROFs) was the collective name of the UK government's munitions factories during and after the Second World War. Until privatisation, in 1987, they were the responsibility of the Ministry of Supply, and later the Ministr ...

Bridgwater Bridgwater is a large historic market town and civil parish in Somerset, England. Its population currently stands at around 41,276 as of 2022. Bridgwater is at the edge of the Somerset Levels, in level and well-wooded country. The town lies alon ...

. This led him into his first hands-on experience with practical issues concerning thermodynamics. In 1948 he received a post lecturing at the Chemical Engineering Department at the

University of Cambridge , mottoeng = Literal: From here, light and sacred draughts. Non literal: From this place, we gain enlightenment and precious knowledge. , established = , other_name = The Chancellor, Masters and Schola ...

and this provided a stepping-stone to be Professor of Chemical Technology at the

in 1955. This in turn took him to

Imperial College, London Imperial College London (legally Imperial College of Science, Technology and Medicine) is a public research university in London, United Kingdom. Its history began with Prince Albert, consort of Queen Victoria, who developed his vision for a cu ...

in 1960. In 1966 his final move was to be principal of

Queen Elizabeth College Queen Elizabeth College (QEC) was a college in London. It had its origins in the Ladies' (later Women's) Department of King's College, London, England, opened in 1885 but later accepted men as well. The first King's 'extension' lectures for l ...

London London is the capital and largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary down to the North Sea, and has been a majo ...

. He was elected a Fellow of the

Royal Society of London 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 ...

in 1965. He died in

on 23 January 2004.

Family

He married Kathleen Enoch in 1935. They had two sons. His son Jonathan Denbigh was also a scientist.

Publications

*''The Thermodynamics of the Steady State'' (1951) *''Thermodynamics and the Sense of Time'' (1953) *''The Principles of Chemical Equilibrium'' (1955) *''Science, Industry and Social Policy'' (1963) *''Chemical Reactor Theory'' (1965) *''An Inventive Universe'' (1975) *''Three Concepts of Time'' (1981) *''Entropy in Relation to Incomplete Knowledge'' (1985) ,

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Denbigh, Kenneth George 1911 births 2004 deaths People from Luton Fellows of the Royal Society Alumni of the University of Leeds Academics of the University of Edinburgh Academics of Imperial College London British chemists 20th-century non-fiction writers