Person

Dwyer, Francis Patrick John (1910 - 1962)

FAA

Born
3 December 1910
Nelson Plains, New South Wales, Australia
Died
22 June 1962
Griffith, Australian Capital Territory, Australia
Occupation
Chemist

Summary

Francis Dwyer was Professor and Head of the Biological and Inorganic Chemistry Unit, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University from 1960. Earlier he had been a lecturer at Sydney Technical College 1934-1946 and University of Sydney 1946-1954. Fellow, Australian Academy of Science 1961. Dwyer was widely recognised as a leading authority in inorganic chemistry, and laid the foundation of biological inorganic chemistry. In his research he focused on metal coordination compounds, the optical activity of metal complexes, stereochemistry of sexadentate complexes and electron-transfer reactions. He pioneered the use of ruthenium polypyridyl complexes as highly active compounds.

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Details

Chronology

1930
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Sydney
1933
Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Sydney
1934 - 1946
Career position - Lecturer, Sydney Technical College
1940
Award - Rennie Memorial Medal, Australian Chemical Institute
1942 - 1945
Career position - Member of Council, Royal Society of New South Wales
1943
Award - H. G. Smith Memorial Medal, Australian Chemical Institute
1946
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Sydney
1946 - 1954
Career position - Senior Lecturer in Inorganic Chemistry, University of Sydney
1948 - 1949
Career position - Member of Council, Royal Society of New South Wales
1953
Award - David Syme Research Prize (jointly), University of Melbourne
1953 - 1954
Career position - Visiting Professor, Northwestern University, Illinois, U.S.A.
1954
Award - George Fisher-Baker Lecturer, Cornell University, Ithaca, New York, U.S.A.
1956 - 1962
Career position - Chair of Inorganic Chemistry, Pennsylvania State University, U.S.A.
1959
Career position - Visiting Reader in charge of Biological Inorganic Chemistry Unit, John Curtin School of Medical Research, Australian National University
1959
Award - Liversidge Lecturer, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
1960 - 1962
Career position - Professor and Head of the Biological and Inorganic Chemistry Unit, John Curtin School of Medical Research
1961
Career position - President, Chemistry Section, Australian and New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science
1961 - 1962
Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

Related Awards

Related Corporate Bodies

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • Francis Patrick John Dwyer - Records, 1962 - 1964, MS 041; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Exhibitions

Book Sections

  • Livingstone, Stanley E., 'Dwyer, Francis Patrick John (1910-1962), Professor of Chemistry' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 14: 1940 - 1980 Di-Kel, John Ritchie, ed. (Melbourne: Melbourne University Press, 1996), pp. 63-64. http://www.adb.online.anu.edu.au/biogs/A140071b.htm. Details

Journal Articles

  • Baker, Anthony T., 'The contribution of Dwyer and Lions to the design of sexadentate ligands', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 132 (1999), 65-82. Details
  • Baker, N. J.; Xiao, L. H.; Craig, D. C.; and Baker, A. T., 'Metal complexes of linear sexadentate ligands: Dwyer and Lions revisited', Journal and Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, 132 (1999), 11-22. Details
  • Kilah, Nathan L.; and Meggers, Eric, 'Sixty years young: the diverse biological activities of metal polypyridyl complexes pioneered by Francis P. Dwyer', Australian Journal of Chemistry, 65 (9) (2012), 1325-32. Details
  • McKenzie, H. A., 'Obituary: Francis Patrick John Dwyer', Australian Journal of Science, 25 (11) (1962), 215-216. Details
  • Sutherland, K.. L., 'Francis Partick John Dwyer', Yearbook of the Australian Academy of Science (1063), 30-41. Details

Resources

See also

Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn

Created: 20 October 1993, Last modified: 6 October 2023

EOAS ID: biogs/P000379b.htm

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