John William White FRACI FAIP FRS FAA CMG AO (1937–2023) was a pioneer in the application of neutron scattering to chemistry, one of the most influential advocates for neutron facilities globally, particularly in Australia, and was a friend and mentor to a great many neutron-scattering scientists working worldwide. This biographical memoir will demonstrate the enormous legacy that he leaves through his service to science by following his career from the University of Sydney to Oxford University – initially as a DPhil student, but subsequently as a fellow at St John’s College – through to Director of the Institut Laue Langevin (ILL) neutron facility in Grenoble, France, before returning to Australia as Professor at the Australian National University in Canberra.
This memoir was originally published in Historical Records of Australian Science, vol.36, 2025. It was written by Elliot Paul Gilbert and Julia Stretton Higgins.
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