Person

Williams, William Thomas (1913 - 1995)

FAA

Born
18 April 1913
London, England
Died
15 October 1995
Occupation
Botanist and Plant taxonomist

Summary

William Williams held many positions in the United Kingdom including Professor of Botany at the University of Southampton from 1951 to 1965. He then moved to Australia to join the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Computing Research 1966-1968, and later the Division of Tropical Pastures 1968-1973. Williams was a leading authority on the use of numerical methods for classifying biological data. After his retirement he worked as a consultant to James Cook University of North Queensland, Davies Laboratory (CSIRO) and the Australian Institute of Marine Science, Townsville. He was also a qualified piano teacher.

Details

Chronology

1933
Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London
1933 - 1936
Career position - Taught at Imperial College
1936 - 1940
Career position - Teacher at Sir John Cass Technical College
1940
Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) completed at the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London
1940
Education - Diploma of Imperial College (DIC) completed
1941 - 1946
Career position - Military service with the Royal Artillery (Sergeant), Royal Army Ordnance Corps (Second Lieutenant) and Royal Electrical and Mechanical Engineers (Major)
1946 - 1951
Career position - Lecturer at Bedford College for Women
1951 - 1956
Career position - Professor of Botany and Head of the Department of Botany at the University of Southampton
1956
Education - Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the Imperial College of Science and Technology in London
1966 - 1968
Career position - Senior Principal Research Scientist at the CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Computing Research
1968 - 1973
Career position - Senior Principal Research Scientist at the CSIRO Division of Tropical Pastures
1978 - 1995
Award - Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1980
Award - Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE)

Related Corporate Bodies

Archival resources

Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science

  • H. Trevor Clifford - Records, c. 1971 - c. 1995, MS 188; Adolph Basser Library, Australian Academy of Science. Details

Published resources

Book Sections

  • Burt, R. L.; Williams, W. T., 'Plant Introduction in Australia' in Australian Science in the Making, R. W. Home, ed. (Sydney: Cambridge University Press, 1988), pp. 252-276. Details
  • Rae, Ian D., 'Williams, William Thomas (Bill) (1913 - 1995)' in Australian dictionary of biography, volume 19: 1991 - 1995, Nolan, Melanie, ed. (Canberra: Australian National University Press, 2021), https://adb.anu.edu.au/biography/williams-william-thomas-bill-28592. Details

Journal Articles

  • Clifford, H. Trevor, 'William Thomas Williams 1913-1995', Historical Records of Australian Science, 12 (1) (1998), 99-118. https://doi.org/10.1071/HR9981210099. Details
  • Clifford, H.T.; and Williams, W.T., 'Classificatory dendrograms and their interpretation.', Australian Journal of Botany, 21 (1973), 151-162.. Details

Resources

Resource Sections

Rosanne Walker

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