Sir Alan Herries Wilson (2 July 1906 – 30 September 1995), was a British

mathematician A mathematician is someone who uses an extensive knowledge of mathematics in their work, typically to solve mathematical problems. Mathematicians are concerned with numbers, data, quantity, structure, space, models, and change. History On ...

and industrialist. He was educated at Wallasey Grammar School and at

Emmanuel College, Cambridge Emmanuel College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge. The college was founded in 1584 by Sir Walter Mildmay, Chancellor of the Exchequer to Elizabeth I. The site on which the college sits was once a priory for Dominican m ...

, obtaining a BA degree in mathematics in 1926. His graduate work was under the supervision of R. H. Fowler working on problems in

quantum mechanics Quantum mechanics is a fundamental theory in physics that provides a description of the physical properties of nature at the scale of atoms and subatomic particles. It is the foundation of all quantum physics including quantum chemistry, ...

. There is now an Alan Wilson Research Fellowship at Emmanuel College. He studied with

Werner Heisenberg Werner Karl Heisenberg () (5 December 1901 – 1 February 1976) was a German theoretical physicist and one of the main pioneers of the theory of quantum mechanics. He published his work in 1925 in a Über quantentheoretische Umdeutung kinematis ...

on the application of quantum mechanics to electrical conduction in metals and

semiconductor A semiconductor is a material which has an electrical conductivity value falling between that of a conductor, such as copper, and an insulator, such as glass. Its resistivity falls as its temperature rises; metals behave in the opposite way ...

s. During the period 1931–1932 Wilson formulated a theory explaining how energy bands of electrons can make a material a conductor, a semiconductor, or an insulator. In 1932 he was awarded the

Adams Prize The Adams Prize is one of the most prestigious prizes awarded by the University of Cambridge. It is awarded each year by the Faculty of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and St John's College to a UK-based mathematician for distinguis ...

; the essay he wrote for this prize became the basis for his book ''The Theory of Metals'' published in 1936. His book ''Semi-conductors and Metals'' was published in 1939. Wilson supervised four graduate students in the study of solid-state physics during the 1930s, but Wilson perceived that interest in the field was small at Cambridge and so switched to the study of nuclear physics and cosmic rays. Wilson was elected 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 ...

in 1942 for his work in advancing the theory of conduction in metals and semiconductors. During the Second World War he worked on radio communications problems for the SOE, and was later attached to the British

Tube Alloys Tube Alloys was the research and development programme authorised by the United Kingdom, with participation from Canada, to develop nuclear weapons during the Second World War. Starting before the Manhattan Project in the United States, the ...

project to develop the

atomic bomb A nuclear weapon is an explosive device that derives its destructive force from nuclear reactions, either fission (fission bomb) or a combination of fission and fusion reactions ( thermonuclear bomb), producing a nuclear explosion. Both bomb ...

. After the Second World War he left academic research and became an industrialist, joining British textile company

Courtaulds Courtaulds was a United Kingdom-based manufacturer of fabric, clothing, artificial fibres, and chemicals. It was established in 1794 and became the world's leading man-made fibre production company before being broken up in 1990 into Courtaulds ...

to supervise their research and development of artificial fibres. He continued his interest in mathematical physics and prepared the second edition of ''The Theory of Metals'' in 1953. He published ''Thermodynamics and Statistical Mechanics'' in 1957. Wilson served as the second President of the combined

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 Physic ...

and the Physical Society from 1962 to 1964. In 1962 he left Courtaulds due in part to a takeover bid by ICI and joined

Glaxo GSK plc, formerly GlaxoSmithKline plc, is a British multinational pharmaceutical and biotechnology company with global headquarters in London, England. Established in 2000 by a merger of Glaxo Wellcome and SmithKline Beecham. GSK is the tent ...

, a pharmacy company, becoming chairman in 1963 until his retirement in 1973. During Wilson's time at Glaxo the company was successful in greatly expanding its business. Wilson was

knighted A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the G ...

in 1961. He was married in 1934 to Margaret Monks (Constance) (1908 – 8 June 1961), with two sons (Peter, born 1939, and John, born 1944).
Alan Herries Wilson retrieved 2012 Oct 25

References

1906 births 1995 deaths Alumni of the University of Cambridge Cambridge mathematicians 20th-century English mathematicians Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Bachelor {{UK-mathematician-stub