Nicholson, Alexander John - Bright Sparcs Biographical entry

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Nicholson, Alexander John (1895 - 1969)

CBE, FAA, FRES

Online Sources

Archival/Heritage Sources

Published Sources

Entomologist

Born: 25 March 1895 Blackhall, County Meath, Ireland. Died: 28 October 1969 Canberra, Australian Capital Territory, Australia.

Alexander John Nicholson was one of Australia’s top Entomologists and greatly increased the knowledge and study of Zoology and Entomology in Australia. His longest serving position was as Chief of the Division of Economic Entomology at CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research)/CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) from 1936 to 1960. During this time Nicholson improved the Division’s reputation and research scope to include biological control, taxonomy, ecology, physiology, biochemistry and toxicology. Nicholson’s main area of expertise was in insect population dynamics and biology, but he was also a fine designer of scientific equipment and a fastidious organiser. He was a member and office bearer of many of Australia’s and Britain’s top scientific bodies and published widely. He received many accolades for his tireless work including an appointment to Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE).

Career Highlights

Chronology
1915 Bachelor of Science (BSc) completed at the University of Birmingham, UK
1915 - c. 1919 War service with the Royal Regiment of Artillery in France and Belgium
1919 - c. 1921 Researcher at the University of Birmingham
1920 Master of Science (MSc) completed at the University of Birmingham
1921 - Inagural McCaughey Lecturer in Entomology at the University of Sydney
1921 Migrated to Australia (Sydney)
1928 - 1930 Councillor of the Linnean Society of New South Wales
1929 Doctor of Science (DSc) received from the University of Sydney
1930 - 1933 Deputy-Chief of the CSIR (Council for Scientific and Industrial Research) Division of Economic Entomology
1933 'The Balance of Animal Populations' published in the Journal of Animal Ecology
1933 - 1936 Acting-Chief of the CSIR Division of Economic Entomology
1935 - Foundation member of the Australian Institute of Agricultural Science
1936 - 1960 Chief of the CSIR / CSIRO (Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation) Division of Economic Entomology
1950 - 1951 President of the Royal Society of Australia
1952 Clarke Medal received from the Royal Society of New South Wales
1954 Foundation Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science (FAA)
1960 - Foundation President of the National Parks Association of the Australian Capital Territory
1961 - Honorary Fellow of the Royal Entomological Society of London (FRES)
1961 Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE)
1963 - Honorary member of the British Ecological Society
1965 - Foundation member of the Australian Entomological Society

Online Sources

Published Sources

'Nicholson, Alexander John - Ms 130', in Listing of Adolph Basser Library holdings, Australian Academy of Science, 1994, http://www.science.org.au/academy/basser/lists/ms130.txt. [ Details ]

See Also

Smith, Charles H., Nicholson, (Alexander) John (England-Australia 1895-1969), Some Biogeographers, Evolutionists and Ecologists: Chrono-Biographical Sketches, http://www.wku.edu/~smithch/chronob/NICH1895.htm. [ Details ]

Structure based on ISAAR(CPF) - click here for an explanation of the fields.

Prepared by: McCarthy, G.J.
Created: 20 October 1993
Modified: 9 October 2006

Published by The University of Melbourne eScholarship Research Centre on ASAPWeb, 1994 - 2007
Originally published 1994-1999 by Australian Science Archives Project, 1999-2006 by the Australian Science and Technology Heritage Centre
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Updated: 26 February 2007
http://www.asap.unimelb.edu.au/bsparcs/biogs/P000673b.htm

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