Arthur Marshall Stoneham,
FRS (18 May 1940 – 18 February 2011), known as Marshall Stoneham, was a British
physicist
A physicist is a scientist who specializes in the field of physics, which encompasses the interactions of matter and energy at all length and time scales in the physical universe.
Physicists generally are interested in the root or ultimate caus ...
who worked for the
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of fusion energy. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy ...
, and from 1995 was Massey professor of physics 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 = ...
.
Biography
Stoneham was born in
Barrow-in-Furness
Barrow-in-Furness is a port town in Cumbria, England. Historically in Lancashire, it was incorporated as a municipal borough in 1867 and merged with Dalton-in-Furness Urban District in 1974 to form the Borough of Barrow-in-Furness. In 2023 the ...
on 18 May 1940, son of Garth Rivers Stoneham, consultant obstetrician and gynaecologist, and fellow New Zealander Nancy Wooler (née Leslie). He was educated at
Barrow Grammar School for Boys. He then read physics at the
University of Bristol
, mottoeng = earningpromotes one's innate power (from Horace, ''Ode 4.4'')
, established = 1595 – Merchant Venturers School1876 – University College, Bristol1909 – received royal charter
, type ...
, where he graduated with a BSc in 1961, and a PhD, supervised by
Maurice Pryce
Maurice Henry Lecorney Pryce (24 January 1913 – 24 July 2003) was a British physicist.
Pryce was born in Croydon to an Anglo-Welsh father and French mother, and in his teens attended the Royal Grammar School, Guildford. After a few months in ...
, in 1964.
In 1964 he joined
AERE
Aere or AERE may refer to:
* Association of Environmental and Resource Economists, in the United States
* Atomic Energy Research Establishment, in the United Kingdom
* Atomic Energy Research Establishment (Bangladesh)
Atomic Energy Research E ...
Harwell, where he spent more than 30 years. After successive promotions he was made chief scientist of
AEA Technology
Ricardo-AEA Ltd, trading as Ricardo Energy & Environment, was formed on November 8, 2012, when Ricardo acquired the business, operating assets and employees engaged in the business of AEA Technology Plc (AEAT, in administration) (AEA Europe), fo ...
, an offshoot of AERE. But as the ability to conduct basic research diminished at Harwell in the 1990s
[ Stoneham was drawn to UCL, where he was appointed Professor of Physics and Director of the Centre for Materials Research in 1995. He also joined a group, headed by John Finney, working on condensed matter and material physics, which led to the formation of the ]London Centre for Nanotechnology
The London Centre for Nanotechnology is a multidisciplinary research centre in physical and biomedical nanotechnology in London, United Kingdom. It brings together three institutions that are world leaders in nanotechnology, University Colleg ...
.[
]
The man and his family
Arthur Marshall Stoneham married Doreen Montgomery in Barrow-in-Furness in 1962. They had two daughters, Elise and Nicky. He died on 18 February 2011, at Churchill Hospital
The Churchill Hospital is a teaching hospital in Oxford, England. It is managed by the Oxford University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
History
The original hospital on the site was built in 1940 with the intention of providing medical aid to ...
, Oxford
Oxford () is a city in England. It is the county town and only city of Oxfordshire. In 2020, its population was estimated at 151,584. It is north-west of London, south-east of Birmingham and north-east of Bristol. The city is home to the ...
after complications in surgery. A Thanks giving service to celebrate his life was held at Dorchester Abbey on 15 March, and a concert, ‘in memoriam Marshall Stoneham’, was performed by the Dorchester Wind Players (DWP) on 8 April 2012 at St Nicolas Church, Abingdon
The Church of Saint Nicolas is a Church of England parish church in Abingdon in the English county of Oxfordshire (formerly within Berkshire).
History
The church was added to the gateway of the already-existing Benedictine Abbey of Saint Ma ...
.
Stoneham was a keen amateur horn player and musicologist, playing with the DWP for over forty years, and performing the extremely difficult solo part of the Strauss Horn Concerto in concert. Robert Kirby-Harris
Bob Kirby-Harris (born 12 June 1952) is a former Secretary General of the International Union of Pure and Applied Physics and Chief Executive of the Institute of Physics.
Early life
He went to Ashford Grammar School (now The Norton Knatchbull ...
remembered him as “a wonderful person to work with: committed, enthusiastic and kindly with a penetrating intelligence and gentle wit”.[
Doreen, Elise and Nicky are all directors of Oxford Authentication,] a company founded by Marshall and Doreen.
Awards and honours
*Fellowship of the Institute of Physics
*Fellowship of the American Physical Society
*Fellowship if the Royal Society (in 1989)
*Gave Royal Society’s Zeneca prize lecture (1995)
*Honorary Fellow of UCL
*Awarded the Guthrie Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics (2006)
*President of the IOP in 2010
Books and papers
*
*
*
*
*
*
Stoneham's research papers are liste
here
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stoneham, Marshall
British physicists
People educated at Barrow-in-Furness Grammar School for Boys
Fellows of the Royal Society
Presidents of the Institute of Physics
1940 births
2011 deaths