Leon Francis Phillips (born 14 July 1935) is a New Zealand physical chemist specialising in the gas-liquid interface and

atmospheric chemistry Atmospheric chemistry is a branch of atmospheric science in which the chemistry of the Earth's atmosphere and that of other planets is studied. It is a multidisciplinary approach of research and draws on environmental chemistry, physics, meteorol ...

Biography

Born in

Thames The River Thames ( ), known alternatively in parts as the River Isis, is a river that flows through southern England including London. At , it is the longest river entirely in England and the second-longest in the United Kingdom, after the R ...

on 14 July 1935, Phillips was educated at Westport Technical College and

Christchurch Boys' High School , motto_translation = I Seek Higher Things , type = State school, Day and Boarding school , gender = Boys , song = The School We Magnify , colours = Blue and Black , established = , address = 71 Straven Ro ...

. He studied at

Canterbury University College The University of Canterbury ( mi, Te Whare Wānanga o Waitaha; postnominal abbreviation ''Cantuar.'' or ''Cant.'' for ''Cantuariensis'', the Latin name for Canterbury) is a public research university based in Christchurch, New Zealand. It was f ...

, from where he graduated with an MSc with first-class honours in 1958. After a PhD at the

University of Cambridge The University of Cambridge is a public collegiate research university in Cambridge, England. Founded in 1209 and granted a royal charter by Henry III in 1231, Cambridge is the world's third oldest surviving university and one of its most pr ...

and post-doctoral research at

McGill University McGill University (french: link=no, Université McGill) is an English-language public research university located in Montreal, Quebec Montreal ( ; officially Montréal, ) is the second-most populous city in Canada and most populous ...

, he returned to lecture at Canterbury, rising to the rank of professor in 1966. In 1968 he was elected a

Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand A fellow is a concept whose exact meaning depends on context. In learned or professional societies, it refers to a privileged member who is specially elected in recognition of their work and achievements. Within the context of higher education ...

, and in 1979 he won the society's

Hector Medal The Hector Medal, formerly known as the Hector Memorial Medal, is a science award given by the Royal Society Te Apārangi in memory of Sir James Hector to researchers working in New Zealand. It is awarded annually in rotation for different science ...

. In 1959, Phillips married Pamela Anne Johnstone, and the couple went on to have two children.

Selected works

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References

1935 births Living people People from Thames, New Zealand People educated at Buller High School People educated at Christchurch Boys' High School University of Canterbury alumni Alumni of Christ's College, Cambridge Academic staff of the University of Canterbury New Zealand chemists Physical chemists Fellows of the Royal Society of New Zealand 20th-century New Zealand scientists {{NewZealand-academic-bio-stub