Professor Toby Walsh FAA – Celestino Eureka Prize for Promoting Understanding of Science
Professor Harry Poulos AM FAA FTSE – 2023 Lifetime Achievement Medal, International Society for Soil Mechanics and Geotechnical Engineering
25 April 1937 – 16 August 2023
Born in Newcastle NSW, Professor John White graduated from the University of Sydney with First Class Honours in chemistry and the Frank Dixon Prize in 1957, and his MSc in 1959. Following his DPhil in 1963, Professor White was appointed as a lecturer at Oxford and a Fellow of St John’s College, where he remained until 1985. During this time, he also served as the Director of the Institut Laue-Langevin, Grenoble, France from 1977 to 1980. In 1985, Professor White accepted a position as Professor of Physical and Theoretical Chemistry at the Australian National University, where he spent the remainder of his career including as Pro Vice-Chancellor (1992) and as Dean of the Research School of Chemistry (from 1985 to 1998).
Professor White was elected to the Academy in 1991 for his pioneering work on neutron scattering methods. He served on the Academy’s Council, and as Secretary for Science Policy from 1997 to 2001. He very generously gave his time to the Academy, and also represented Australia and the Academy on numerous occasions.
In recognition of his achievements, Professor White received many honours, awards and prizes. These included the Companion in the Order of St Michael and St George (1981); Officer of the Order of Australia (2016); the Centenary Medal (2001); the Academy’s David Craig Medal (2005); and the Royal Australian Chemical Institute’s HG Smith Award (1997). He also received fellowship of the Royal Society of Chemistry (1982); the Royal Australian Chemical Institute (1986); the Australian Institute of Physics (1986); the Federation of the Asian Chemical Societies (1992); and the Royal Society (1993).
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