Biography of Durward Cruickshank

Durward William John Cruickshank (1924-2007) was the first Joseph Black Professor of Chemistry at the University, from 1962 to 1967. He was awarded an honorary DSc in 2004.

In 1944, Cruickshank graduated with first class honours in Engineering from Loughborough College. He served in the Special Operations Executive and the Admiralty from 1944 until 1946, and then joined the University of Leeds as a research assistant in the Department of Chemistry. After a break of three years, during which he studied Mathematics at Cambridge, he returned to Leeds as Lecturer in Chemsistry and in 1957 he was appointed Reader in Mathematical Chemistry. He graduated PhD from Leeds in 1952 and MA (1954) and ScD (1961) from Cambridge.

Cruickshank had varied research interests, but established an international reputation for his work in X-ray crystallography and the large-scale application of digital computers in scientific research. The Cruickshank Diffraction Precision Index is named for him. He left Glasgow in 1967 to become Professor of Chemistry at the University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology, and he was Deputy Principal there from 1971 to 1972.

Summary

Durward Cruickshank
Mathematical Crystallographer
Born 7 March 1924.
Died 13 July 2007.
University Link: Honorary Graduate, Professor
GU Degree: DSc, 2004;
Occupation categories: chemists
NNAF Reference: GB/NNAF/P150325
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Record last updated: 11th Aug 2008

University Connections

University Roles

• Honorary Graduate
• Professor

Academic Posts

Professorships:

• Chemistry (Joseph Black Chair)