P000317 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

All key entry types: Awards; Concepts; Corporate Bodies (Organisations); Cultural Artefacts; People; etc

These key entries are listed separately below with other indexes and lists.

 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 1993-10-20 human Gavan McCarthy [P004098] and Helen Cohn updated 2026-02-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P000317b.htm person Compston William FAA FRS FTSE AACR2 19 February 1931 16 May 2025 Place of Birth Western Australia, Australia Physicist Bill Compston was a professorial fellow, Australian National University from 1974. He has made outstanding contributions to the application of mass spectrometry to the dating of rocks, particularly in the use of the uranium-lead and rubidium-strontium radioactive decay series. His research group at the Australian National University developed the Sensitive High Resolution Ion MicroProbe (SHRIMP) which revolutionised geochronology. They identified what were then the oldest known rocks, from Western Australia. In 1969 Compston was principal investigator in dating lunar rocks from the Apollo 11 mission. 1951 1951 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Western Australia 1956 1957 Award - Fulbright Scholarship, California Institute of Technology, Pasadena, California, U.S.A. 1957 1957 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Western Australia 1958 1961 Career position - Lecturer in Physics, University of Western Australia 1961 1961 Career event - Joined the Department of Geophysics, Australian National University 1971 2025 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Science (FAA) 1987 2025 Award - Fellow, The Royal Society, London (FRS) 1988 1988 Award - Mawson Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science 1988 1988 Education - Doctor of Science (DSc), University of Western Australia 1995 1995 Award - Morrison Medal, Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry 1995 1995 Award - Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award, Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation 1997 1997 Award - Fellow, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (FTSE) 1998 1998 Award - Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science 1 Jan 2001 1 Jan 2001 Award - Centenary Medal - for service to Australian Earth Science and Instrumental Development Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science (1957 - )

Awarded the Medal 1998

 Australian National University (1946 - )

Joined the Department of Geophysics 1961

 Australian Academy of Science (1954 - )

Fellow 1971 - 2025

 Mawson Medal and Lecture, Australian Academy of Science (1981 - )

Awarded the Medal 1988

 Clunies Ross National Science and Technology Award, Australian Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering (1991 - 2015)

Received the Award 1995, from the Ian Clunies Ross Memorial Foundation

 Australian and New Zealand Society for Mass Spectrometry Incorporated (ANZSMS) (1970 - )

Awarded the Morrison Medal 1995

Wikidata

 Compston, William (1931-)

Trove

 'Compston, William', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Compston, William Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: The Academy's Fellows [including profiles and other relevant links] Australian Academy of Science The Academy's Fellows [including profiles and other relevant links] Canberra Australian Academy of Science 2019 Resource: Mawson Medal and Lecture Australian Academy of Science Mawson Medal and Lecture Australian Academy of Science 2025 Resource: Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture Australian Academy of Science Matthew Flinders Medal and Lecture Australian Academy of Science 2025 Journal Article: Brief history of isotope geology at the Australian National University McDougall, I. Brief history of isotope geology at the Australian National University 2008 Australian journal of earth sciences 55 6/7 727-36 Resource Section: Interview with Professor Bill Compston, isotope geochemist Salt, David Interview with Professor Bill Compston, isotope geochemist Australian Academy of Science 2005 Interviews with Australian scientists Journal Article: Geochronology in Australia: an overview De Laeter, J. R. Geochronology in Australia: an overview 2008 Australian journal of earth sciences 55 6/7 723-4 Journal Article: A History of Mass Spectrometry in Australia Downard, K. M.; and De Laeter, J. R. A History of Mass Spectrometry in Australia 2005 Journal of Mass Spectrometry 40 9 1123-1139