I was born in London but spent most of my school years in Harrogate in Yorkshire, from where I went to the University of Manchester as an undergraduate. I first went to University College London in 1959 as a research student to study for the Ph.D degree, which was awarded in 1964. After a short period as a Research Assistant I joined the permanent academic staff at UCL, where I have remained ever since apart from periods of sabatical leave at Trinity College Dublin, the Goddard Space Flight Center in the USA and at York University, Toronto, Canada. My research interests have been mainly in theoretical atomic physics, with particular emphasis on positron physics, a field in which I have co-authored a definitive monograph published by Cambridge University Press a few years ago. Although I formally retired last September, I have continued on a part-time basis to teach the first year undergraduate course in classical mechanics. I have taught this course for the past several years, during which time I have developed a keen interest in the mechanics of rotations.
Last updated 06-Mar-2004