Donald Nicklin AO (1934-2007) was an Australian chemical engineer and academic.

Early life

Donald James Nicklin was born 20 December 1934 in

Home Hill, Queensland Home Hill is a rural town and locality in the Shire of Burdekin, Queensland, Australia. In the , the locality of Home Hill had a population of 2,954 people. At the delta of the Burdekin River, it is a sugarcane growing area with underground wat ...

. His father, James Nicklin was a mechanical and electrical engineer who worked at a number of sugar mills. His grandfather, Reuben Nicklin was a merchant in the

Coorparoo Coorparoo is a suburb in the City of Brisbane, Queensland, Australia. In the , Coorparoo had a population of 16,282 people. Geography Coorparoo is by road south-east of the Brisbane GPO. It borders Camp Hill, Holland Park, Stones Corner ...

area. His cousin George Frances Reuben Nicklin was a

Premier of Queensland The premier of Queensland is the head of government in the Australian state of Queensland. By convention the premier is the leader of the party with a parliamentary majority in the unicameral Legislative Assembly of Queensland. The premier is ap ...

. Donald Nicklin attended Buranda Boys State School and

Brisbane Grammar School , motto_translation = Nothing Without Labour , established = 1868 , type = Independent, day & boarding , gender = Boys , denomination = Non-denominational , slogan = , key_people = , ci ...

, where he was Dux in his final year. He won a scholarship to attend the

University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...

in 1952 and graduated with his Bachelor of Applied Science degree with First Class Honours in Industrial Chemistry in 1957. Nicklin also won a University Gold Medal in the same year. He completed a Bachelor of Science (Mathematics) degree in 1959. Nicklin won a Shell Scholarship to undertake studies towards a PhD in chemical engineering from 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 ...

in 1961. He won the Junior Moulton Medal from the

Institution of Chemical Engineers The Institution of Chemical Engineers (IChemE) is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members worldwide. It was founded in 1922 and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957. It has offices in Rugby, London, Melbourne, Wellingto ...

. Nicklin commenced work with the

DuPont DuPont de Nemours, Inc., commonly shortened to DuPont, is an American multinational chemical company first formed in 1802 by French-American chemist and industrialist Éleuthère Irénée du Pont de Nemours. The company played a major role in ...

company in Canada following graduation from Cambridge.

Career

Nicklin moved to the U.S. branch of the DuPont group and worked on the group that developed

Lycra Spandex, Lycra, or elastane is a synthetic fiber known for its exceptional elasticity. It is a polyether-polyurea copolymer that was invented in 1958 by chemist Joseph Shivers at DuPont's Benger Laboratory in Waynesboro, Virginia, US. The g ...

, undertaking analyses of the process of spinning the fabric. He returned to Australia in 1965, where he was appointed Senior Lecturer in the Department of Chemical Engineering at the University of Queensland. He was appointed Professor in 1969 and was Head of the Department from 1969-1980. One of Nicklin’s students,

Andrew Liveris Andrew N. Liveris (born 5 May 1954) is an Australian former CEO and chairman of The Dow Chemical Company of Midland, Michigan. Liveris has been a member of Dow's board of directors since February 2004, CEO since November 2004 and was elected as ...

, would also pursue a career with the DuPont company. Nicklin took his Bachelor of Economics degree from UQ in 1973. He was Dean of the Faculty of Engineering between 1976-1979. He was Pro Vice Chancellor for Physical Sciences between 1983-1992. He retired from the University in 1993 and continued his work in industry and academia for many subsequent years. He published over 50 papers and several patents.

Personal life

Nicklin died after a short illness on 29 October 2007. He married occupational therapist Joanna Wilson of Sydney in 1958 and they had six children.

Awards and memberships

Fellow of the

Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering The Australian Academy of Technology and Engineering (ATSE) is a learned academy that helps Australians understand and use technology to solve complex problems. It was founded in 1975 as one of Australia's then four learned academies (now five) ...

1987 - Chemeca medal from the Chemical College of the Institution of Engineers, Australia Member - Prime Minister’s Science, Engineering and Innovation Council – 6 years Member – AusIndustry’s Industry Research and Development Board Chair, Centre for Mining Technology and Equipment Director, Ticor Chair, Austa Energy Corporation Chair, Board of Trustees, Brisbane Grammar School Member, Sugar Research Institute

Officer of the Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gove ...

, 1996

Legacy

The Institution of Chemical Engineers created a Nicklin Medal in his honour in 2008. A building was named in his honour at UQ.

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Nicklin, Donald Australian chemical engineers Officers of the Order of Australia 1934 births 2007 deaths People from North Queensland People educated at Brisbane Grammar School University of Queensland alumni Chemical engineering academics