Keith O'Nions
Encyclopedia
Sir Robert Keith O'Nions (born 26 September 1944), is a British
scientist and current Rector of the Imperial College London
. He is the former Director General of the Research Councils as well as Professor of the Physics and Chemistry of Minerals and was head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford
.
He studied geology as an undergraduate at the University of Nottingham
, receiving a PhD
at the University of Alberta
before taking up a postdoctoral position at the University of Oslo
. He taught geochemistry at the University of Oxford
from 1971 to 1975, when he became a professor of geology
at Columbia University
, a post he held until 1979 when he became a Royal Society
Research Professor at the University of Cambridge
. He remained there until 1995, when he returned to Oxford to take up the professorship.
He was knight
ed in 1999, and from 2000 to 2004 he was Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence. After a period as Director General of the Research Councils, he was appointed to lead the newly formed Institute for Security Science and Technology at Imperial College, London in July 2008.
On 1 January 2010, following the resignation of Sir Roy Anderson
, he became the acting Rector of Imperial College London, in July 2010 he was appointed to a full term as Rector, to run until 2013.
He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
.
United Kingdom
The United Kingdom of Great Britain and Northern IrelandIn the United Kingdom and Dependencies, other languages have been officially recognised as legitimate autochthonous languages under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages...
scientist and current Rector of the Imperial College London
Imperial College London
Imperial College London is a public research university located in London, United Kingdom, specialising in science, engineering, business and medicine...
. He is the former Director General of the Research Councils as well as Professor of the Physics and Chemistry of Minerals and was head of the Department of Earth Sciences at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
.
He studied geology as an undergraduate at the University of Nottingham
University of Nottingham
The University of Nottingham is a public research university based in Nottingham, United Kingdom, with further campuses in Ningbo, China and Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia...
, receiving a PhD
PHD
PHD may refer to:*Ph.D., a doctorate of philosophy*Ph.D. , a 1980s British group*PHD finger, a protein sequence*PHD Mountain Software, an outdoor clothing and equipment company*PhD Docbook renderer, an XML renderer...
at the University of Alberta
University of Alberta
The University of Alberta is a public research university located in Edmonton, Alberta, Canada. Founded in 1908 by Alexander Cameron Rutherford, the first premier of Alberta and Henry Marshall Tory, its first president, it is widely recognized as one of the best universities in Canada...
before taking up a postdoctoral position at the University of Oslo
University of Oslo
The University of Oslo , formerly The Royal Frederick University , is the oldest and largest university in Norway, situated in the Norwegian capital of Oslo. The university was founded in 1811 and was modelled after the recently established University of Berlin...
. He taught geochemistry at the University of Oxford
University of Oxford
The University of Oxford is a university located in Oxford, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest surviving university in the world and the oldest in the English-speaking world. Although its exact date of foundation is unclear, there is evidence of teaching as far back as 1096...
from 1971 to 1975, when he became a professor of geology
Geology
Geology is the science comprising the study of solid Earth, the rocks of which it is composed, and the processes by which it evolves. Geology gives insight into the history of the Earth, as it provides the primary evidence for plate tectonics, the evolutionary history of life, and past climates...
at Columbia University
Columbia University
Columbia University in the City of New York is a private, Ivy League university in Manhattan, New York City. Columbia is the oldest institution of higher learning in the state of New York, the fifth oldest in the United States, and one of the country's nine Colonial Colleges founded before the...
, a post he held until 1979 when he became a Royal Society
Royal Society
The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, known simply as the Royal Society, is a learned society for science, and is possibly the oldest such society in existence. Founded in November 1660, it was granted a Royal Charter by King Charles II as the "Royal Society of London"...
Research Professor at the University of Cambridge
University of Cambridge
The University of Cambridge is a public research university located in Cambridge, United Kingdom. It is the second-oldest university in both the United Kingdom and the English-speaking world , and the seventh-oldest globally...
. He remained there until 1995, when he returned to Oxford to take up the professorship.
He was knight
Knight
A knight was a member of a class of lower nobility in the High Middle Ages.By the Late Middle Ages, the rank had become associated with the ideals of chivalry, a code of conduct for the perfect courtly Christian warrior....
ed in 1999, and from 2000 to 2004 he was Chief Scientific Adviser to the Ministry of Defence. After a period as Director General of the Research Councils, he was appointed to lead the newly formed Institute for Security Science and Technology at Imperial College, London in July 2008.
On 1 January 2010, following the resignation of Sir Roy Anderson
Roy Anderson
Roy Anderson or Andersson may refer to:* Sir Roy M. Anderson , former rector of Imperial College* Roy Anderson , character from television sitcom The Office* Roy Andersson , Swedish film director...
, he became the acting Rector of Imperial College London, in July 2010 he was appointed to a full term as Rector, to run until 2013.
He is a member of the Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters
The Norwegian Academy of Science and Letters is a learned society based in Oslo, Norway.-History:The University of Oslo was established in 1811. The idea of a learned society in Christiania surfaced for the first time in 1841. The city of Throndhjem had no university, but had a learned...
.
External links
- Biography, Department of Trade and Industry
- Imperial College press release