Polya, John Bela (c. 1914 - 1992)

Summary

John Bela Polya was Associate Professor of Chemistry at the University of Tasmania from 1955 to 1979. When he joined the university in 1944 he was the sole organic chemistry lecturer and set about expanding teaching and research in the subject. He gained international recognition for his work in heterocyclic chemistry, especially 1,2,4-triazoles. Polya was a very passionate and opinionated person, who was staunchly opposed to the fluoridation of Australia's drinking water.

Details

Chronology

1936

Education - Completed studies at the Swiss Federal Institute of Technology in Zurich

1937 - 1939

Career position - Rockefeller Scholar in Organic Chemistry, University of Manchester and then Imperial College, London

1939 - c. 1945

Career position - Worked in the chemistry industry in Sydney and Melbourne

1944 - 1948

Career position - Corporate member of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1945 - 1946

Career position - Head of the chemical investigations sub-section at the Munitions Supply Laboratories in Maribyrnong, Victoria

1946 - 1955

Career position - Lecturer in Organic Chemistry, University of Tasmania

1948 -

Award - Fellow, Royal Australian Chemical Institute (FRACI)

1952

Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Tasmania

1955 - 1979

Career position - Associate Professor of Chemistry, University of Tasmania

1977 - 1978

Career position - President, Royal Australian Chemical Institute, Tasmanian branch

1978 - 1979

Career position - Chairman, Organic Chemistry Division of the RACI

1979

Life event - Retired

Published resources

Journal Articles

• Smith, Peter, 'Obituary: John Bela Polya (FRACI)', Chemistry in Australia (1993), 191. Details

Resources

• 'Polya, John Bela (1914-19921215)', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, https://nla.gov.au/nla.party-1476389. Details