P003657 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2001-05-25 human Rosanne Walker updated 2025-11-05 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P003657b.htm person Isaak George Richard AACR2 1933 5 June 2005 Place of Birth Poland Place of Death Birmingham, England Physical chemist George Richard Isaak was an Adjunct Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota, USA from 1996 until his death. Prior to this he had spent close to thirty years at the University of Birmingham in England. It was there that Isaak began his groundbreaking research into the pressure, temperature, density and oscillations of the Sun. He achieved this by pioneering the technology of high resolution scanning / resonant-scattering spectroscopy: in 1959 Isaak discovered that very narrow spectra could be resolved and analysed by absorbing a narrow slit from a resonantly scattered beam of light in a vapour chamber and shifting the spectrum of the vapour by an electric or magnetic field.

After surviving the war, George Richard Isaak migrated to Australia as a refugee. He took up studies at the University of Melbourne where he eventually received a Masters qualification (1958). He spent the next two years working as a physical chemist at ICI Australia then moved to England to undertake a Doctor of Philosophy and work as a Research Associate at the University of Birmingham. Isaak remained at the University until his 1996 retirement at the level of Professor. He headed the University's High Resolution Optical Spectroscopy Group for many years. This was the first group of its kind to operate a world-spanning network of observation sites which still operates today under the name of the BiSON network.

Almost immediately after his retirement, Isaak moved to the USA and was appointed Adjunct Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Minnesota and continued to make and record solar and stellar observations. Isaak had an illustrious career making major breakthroughs in his field of physics and astronomy. He received many prestigious awards including the Hughes Medal from the Royal Society and authored over 150 papers on solar and stellar seismology.

c. 1945 c. 1945 Life event - Migrated to Australia as a refugee with his family 1955 1955 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne 1958 1958 Education - Master of Science (MSc), University of Melbourne 1959 1960 Career position - Physical Chemist at ICI Australia 1961 1969 Career position - Research Associate then Lecturer in Physics, University of Birmingham, UK 1966 1966 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Birmingham 1969 1982 Career position - Senior Lecturer in Physics, University of Birmingham 1979 1979 Career position - First detection of the solar five-minute oscillation ever recorded 1982 1984 Career position - Reader in Physics, University of Birmingham 1984 1996 Career position - Professor of Physics, University of Birmingham 1985 1985 Award - Max Born Medal and Prize, Institute of Physics and the German Physical Society 1993 1993 Award - Hughes Medal, The Royal Society, London 1996 Career position - Adjunct Professor in the School of Physics and Astronomy, University of Minnesota, USA 1996 1996 Award - Herschel Medal, Royal Astronomical Society

Wikidata

 Isaak, George Richard (1933-2005)

Trove

 'Isaak, George Richard', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Isaak, George Richard Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Resource: Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Academy of Technological Sciences and Engineering Technology in Australia 1788-1988 Online Melbourne Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre 2000