P004798 revised AU-VU:EOAS Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation

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 English AACR2 Anglo-American Cataloguing Rules Person created 2006-10-10 human Annette Alafaci updated 2024-08-10 human https://www.eoas.info/biogs/P004798b.htm person Bird J. Roger AACR2 26 August 1927 22 November 2001 Physicist J. Roger Bird was a technical expert whose work helped advance many diverse fields of science including hydrology, archaeology and chemistry. During his postgraduate studies at the University of Melbourne he even built a mass spectrometer. Later Bird went on to be part of the team which built the first proton microprobe. Roger Bird left for the United Kingdom in around 1955 where he worked at the British Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Hartwell for almost ten years. He returned to Australia in 1964 and joined a predecessor of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). When he retired from ANSTO in 1992 he was group leader of the Accelerator Mass Spectrometry facility. Bird was a world recognised expert in the analysis of obsidian (volcanic glass) and chlorine content of rain and ground water. He was an author of numerous publications and a Fellow of the Australian Institute of Physics.

Receiving a scholarship to study science at the University of Melbourne, J. Roger Bird went on to complete a Doctor of Philosophy (PhD) there. Afterwards he moved to British Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Hartwell where he researched nuclear reactions. From 1964 Bird spent his entire career with the predecessor of the Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO). Initially he worked on metal analysis composition and studied nuclear reactor. He then spent twenty years transferring his nuclear physics skills to other scientific fields. With the non-destructive, highly sensitive nuclear measurement techniques Bird was able to help archaeologists date all types of material including obsidian, pottery and bronze. The techniques were also useful to other scientists for the study of pigments, polymers, chlorine content of water, and solar cells to name a few. Bird retired in 1992, but continued to research and write about obsidian.

1944 1946 Education - Bachelor of Science (BSc), University of Melbourne 1955 1955 Education - Doctor of Philosophy (PhD), University of Melbourne 1956 1963 Career position - Nuclear Physicist at the British Atomic Energy Research Establishment in Hartwell, UK 1964 1992 Career position - Nuclear Physicist then Group Leader, Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation 1998 1998 Career position - Accelerator Mass Spectrometry co-authored School of Physics, The University of Melbourne (1945 - )

Student 1944-1955

 Australian Atomic Energy Commission, Research Establishment, Commonwealth of Australia (1958 - 1981)

Employee 1964-1981

 Australian Atomic Energy Commission Research Laboratories, Commonwealth of Australia (1981 - 1987)

Employee 1981-1987

 Australian Nuclear Science and Technology Organisation (ANSTO), Commonwealth of Australia (1987 - )

Employee 1987-1992

 Bird, J R (1927-2001)

Trove

 'Bird, J. Roger', in Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation, Centre for Transformative Innovation, Swinburne University of Technology Bird, J. Roger Swinburne University of Technology, Centre for Transformative Innovation Encyclopedia of Australian Science and Innovation Journal Article: Building Australia's first mass spectrometer: Recognising the achievements of J. Roger Bird Downard, Kevin M. Building Australia's first mass spectrometer: Recognising the achievements of J. Roger Bird John Wiley & Sons 2022 Journal of Mass Spectrometry 57 10 Journal Article: J. Roger Bird (1927 - 2001) [Obituary] Ambrose, Wal J. Roger Bird (1927 - 2001) [Obituary] 2002 Society for Archaeological Sciences Bulletin 25 1 3-4 Newspaper Article: Obituary: J Roger Bird (1927 - 2001) Obituary: J Roger Bird (1927 - 2001) 2001 The Age 13