John Oswald Newton 1924–2016

John Oswald Newton (1924–2016) was internationally distinguished for his work in nuclear structure and heavy-ion reactions, and played an instrumental role in enhancing Australia’s nuclear science capability. Throughout his work in England, the United States, and Australia, Newton drove pivotal advancements in the study of Coulomb excitation, angular correlation methods, and the alpha decay of odd nuclei, and was a pioneer in the study of high spin states using heavy-ion reactions. Major achievements at the Australian National University under his leadership were the installation of a new tandem accelerator, the introduction of a collaborative research ethos to the Department of Nuclear Physics, and a new research initiative into nuclear fusion and fission in heavy-ion collisions. Newton’s prior experience at top international laboratories inspired his vision to transform the Department into a world-recognised facility for nuclear physics research.