Biographical entry Birch, Arthur John (1915 - 1995)

Summary

Arthur John Birch was Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Australian National University (ANU) from 1967. The main building of the Research School of Chemistry at ANU was named the Birch Building in his honour in1995. Prior to working at ANU Birch was at Oxford (1938-48), Cambridge (1948-52), the University of Sydney (1952-55), and Manchester University (1955-67). He received many honours including the H.G. Smith Medal, A.E. Leighton Memorial Award and Honorary Fellowship from the Royal Australian Chemical Institute, the ANZAAS Medal and was appointed a Companion of the Order of Australia (AC) and a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG).

Details

Events

1937

Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Sydney

1938

Education - Master of Science (MSc) completed at the University of Sydney

1938 - 1948

Career position - 1851 Exhibition Scholar and ICI Fellow at the University of Oxford, UK

1940

Education - Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil) completed at the University of Oxford

1948 - 1952

Career position - Smithson Fellow of the Royal Society at the University of Cambridge, UK

1952 - 1955

Career position - Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney

1954

Award - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)

1955 - 1967

Career position - Professor of Organic Chemistry at the University of Manchester, UK

1958

Award - Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS)

1967 - 1970

Career position - Dean of the Research School of Chemistry at the Australian National University

1967 - 1980

Career position - Foundation Professor of Organic Chemistry at the Australian National University in Canberra

1972

Award - Matthew Flinders Lecture presented to the Australian Academy of Science

1973 - 1976

Career position - Dean of the Research School of Chemistry

1977

Career position - Chair of the Independent Inquiry into CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation)

1977 - 1978

Career position - President of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute

1979

Award - Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG)

1979

Career position - Founding Chair of the Australian Marine Sciences and Technologies Advisory Committee

1982 - 1986

Career position - President of the Australian Academy of Science

1987

Award - Companion of the Order of Australia (AC)

1995

Award - Naming of the main building of the Research School of Chemistry as Birch Building

Related entries

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

• Arthur John Birch - Records, 1961 - 1996, MS 121; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Encyclopedia of Australian Science Exhibitions

• Smith, Ailie, Adolph Basser Library Manuscript Collection, eScholarship Research Centre, 2012, http://www.eoas.info/basser_browse.html. Details

Books

• Birch, Arthur, To See the Obvious, American Chemical Society, Washington, D.C., 1995, 297 pp. Details

Journal Articles

• Birch, A. J., 'Sir Robert Robinson: a Contemporary historical assessment and a personal memoir', Proceedings of the Royal Society of New South Wales, vol. 109, no. 3/4, 1976, pp. 151-160. Details
• Birch, Arthur J., 'Investigating a Scientific Legend: the Tropinone Synthesis of Sir Robert Robinson, FRS', Notes and Records of the Royal Society of London, vol. 47, 1993, pp. 277-296. Details
• Rickards, Rodney W. and Cornforth, John, Sir, 'Arthur John Birch 1915-1995', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 18, no. 2, 2007, pp. 243-280. Details
• Walker, Rosanne, 'Arthur Birch: the Grandfather of the Contraceptive Pill', Australasian Science, vol. 20, no. 6, 1999, p. 46. Details

Online Resources

• 'Birch, Arthur John - Ms 121', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/basser/manuscript-collection/ms121.html. Details
• 'Arthur Birch - grandfather of the contraceptive pill', in The 1997 Australian Science Festival, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/other/asf_scientists.htm#arthur. Details
• 'Obituary - Arthur Birch', in Annual Report 1996, 1997, http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/pubs/reports/1996/ar96_9.htm#ArthurBirch. Details
• 'Birch, A J', Trove, National Library of Australia, 2009, http://nla.gov.au/nla.party-507565. Details

See also

• Aroney, M. J.; Bukingham, A. D., 'Raymond James Wood Le Fevre 1905-1986', Historical Records of Australian Science, vol. 7, no. 3, 1988, pp. 273-297. Also available at http://www.publish.csiro.au/paper/HR9880730273.htm. Details