Peter Victor Danckwerts
Encyclopedia
Peter Victor Danckwerts GC
, MBE
, FRS (14 October 1916–25 October 1984) was Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
at Cambridge University from 1959 to 1977 and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge
.
He was the eldest of five children of Rear-Admiral Victor Hilary Danckwerts and his wife Joyce Middleton. He showed an early interest in chemistry, constructing his own laboratory in an attic at home counter to his family's history of naval and legal service. He was educated at Winchester College
and Balliol College, Oxford
, where he obtained a First in Chemistry in 1939. He became a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve at the beginning of World War II, and was trained as a bomb disposal officer. In 1940 he was posted to the Port of London Authority
as a bomb disposal officer, and received the George Cross
in 1940 for the "great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty" he showed in defusing land mines dropped by the Luftwaffe
on London
. Despite not being trained to handle magnetic mines he volunteered to attempt to defuse them, which he did successfully, and on one occasion worked continuously for almost two days, dealing with 16 mines. Later in the war he was transferred to Sicily, and after being wounded in action there he was posted to the Combined Operations Headquarters in Whitehall
, subsequently being appointed an MBE
in 1943.
After the war Danckwerts studied Chemical Engineering, obtaining a masters degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
thanks to a Harkness Fellowship
. His return to Britain was at the same time as a donation to Cambridge University by Shell
, which allowed the university to set up a dedicated chemical engineering department under Terence Fox
. Danckwerts became a lecturer and researcher here, but felt he had insufficient teaching experience to lecture effectively, and as a result left to join the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
in 1954. He left this job in 1956 to become professor of chemical engineering science at Imperial College London
, a newly created position, and continued to research as well as teach. In 1959 Fox resigned as Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
at Cambridge, and Danckwerts was elected to take his place.
As Shell Professor Danckwerts did a large amount of research, particularly in the fields of mixing phenomena and gas absorption, and became a noted international speaker. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1969 and received honorary degrees from the universities of Bradford
, Loughborough
and Bath
, as well as foreign associateship of the National Academy of Engineering
. Between 1965 and 1966 he served as president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
, and after retiring from the Shell professorship in 1976 became the executive editor of Chemical Engineering Science. He died in Cambridge on 25 October 1984, with his wife surviving him. His son from his relationship with Eileen Mitchell, Peter Jonathon Mitchell, lives in Australia.
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
, MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
, FRS (14 October 1916–25 October 1984) was Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
The Shell Professors of Chemical Engineering is a professorship at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge...
at Cambridge University from 1959 to 1977 and a Fellow of Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College, Cambridge
Pembroke College is a constituent college of the University of Cambridge, England.The college has over seven hundred students and fellows, and is the third oldest college of the university. Physically, it is one of the university's larger colleges, with buildings from almost every century since its...
.
He was the eldest of five children of Rear-Admiral Victor Hilary Danckwerts and his wife Joyce Middleton. He showed an early interest in chemistry, constructing his own laboratory in an attic at home counter to his family's history of naval and legal service. He was educated at Winchester College
Winchester College
Winchester College is an independent school for boys in the British public school tradition, situated in Winchester, Hampshire, the former capital of England. It has existed in its present location for over 600 years and claims the longest unbroken history of any school in England...
and Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College, Oxford
Balliol College , founded in 1263, is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England but founded by a family with strong Scottish connections....
, where he obtained a First in Chemistry in 1939. He became a sub-lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve at the beginning of World War II, and was trained as a bomb disposal officer. In 1940 he was posted to the Port of London Authority
Port of London Authority
The Port of London Authority is a self-funding public trust established in 1908 by the Port of London Act to govern the Port of London. Its responsibility extends over the Tideway of the River Thames and the authority is responsible for the public right of navigation and for conservancy of the...
as a bomb disposal officer, and received the George Cross
George Cross
The George Cross is the highest civil decoration of the United Kingdom, and also holds, or has held, that status in many of the other countries of the Commonwealth of Nations...
in 1940 for the "great gallantry and undaunted devotion to duty" he showed in defusing land mines dropped by the Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe
Luftwaffe is a generic German term for an air force. It is also the official name for two of the four historic German air forces, the Wehrmacht air arm founded in 1935 and disbanded in 1946; and the current Bundeswehr air arm founded in 1956....
on London
London
London is the capital city of :England and the :United Kingdom, the largest metropolitan area in the United Kingdom, and the largest urban zone in the European Union by most measures. Located on the River Thames, London has been a major settlement for two millennia, its history going back to its...
. Despite not being trained to handle magnetic mines he volunteered to attempt to defuse them, which he did successfully, and on one occasion worked continuously for almost two days, dealing with 16 mines. Later in the war he was transferred to Sicily, and after being wounded in action there he was posted to the Combined Operations Headquarters in Whitehall
Whitehall
Whitehall is a road in Westminster, in London, England. It is the main artery running north from Parliament Square, towards Charing Cross at the southern end of Trafalgar Square...
, subsequently being appointed an MBE
Order of the British Empire
The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is an order of chivalry established on 4 June 1917 by George V of the United Kingdom. The Order comprises five classes in civil and military divisions...
in 1943.
After the war Danckwerts studied Chemical Engineering, obtaining a masters degree from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Massachusetts Institute of Technology
The Massachusetts Institute of Technology is a private research university located in Cambridge, Massachusetts. MIT has five schools and one college, containing a total of 32 academic departments, with a strong emphasis on scientific and technological education and research.Founded in 1861 in...
thanks to a Harkness Fellowship
Harkness Fellowship
The Harkness Fellowships are a programme run by the Commonwealth Fund of New York City. They were established to reciprocate the Rhodes Scholarships and enable Fellows from several countries to spend time studying in the United States...
. His return to Britain was at the same time as a donation to Cambridge University by Shell
Royal Dutch Shell
Royal Dutch Shell plc , commonly known as Shell, is a global oil and gas company headquartered in The Hague, Netherlands and with its registered office in London, United Kingdom. It is the fifth-largest company in the world according to a composite measure by Forbes magazine and one of the six...
, which allowed the university to set up a dedicated chemical engineering department under Terence Fox
Terence Fox
Terence Robert Corelli Fox , often called T.R.C. Fox, was a notable British chemical engineer. He was a member of the Atomic Energy Council and the first Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering at the University of Cambridge.Fox was born on 2 May 1912, the son of an electrical engineer, and...
. Danckwerts became a lecturer and researcher here, but felt he had insufficient teaching experience to lecture effectively, and as a result left to join the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority
The United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority is a UK government research organisation responsible for the development of nuclear fusion power. It is an executive non-departmental public body of the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills and was formerly chaired by Lady Barbara Judge CBE...
in 1954. He left this job in 1956 to become professor of chemical engineering science at 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...
, a newly created position, and continued to research as well as teach. In 1959 Fox resigned as Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
Shell Professor of Chemical Engineering
The Shell Professors of Chemical Engineering is a professorship at the Department of Chemical Engineering and Biotechnology at the University of Cambridge...
at Cambridge, and Danckwerts was elected to take his place.
As Shell Professor Danckwerts did a large amount of research, particularly in the fields of mixing phenomena and gas absorption, and became a noted international speaker. He was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1969 and received honorary degrees from the universities of Bradford
University of Bradford
The University of Bradford is a British university located in the city of Bradford, West Yorkshire, England. The University received its Royal Charter in 1966, making it the 40th University to be created in Britain, but its origins date back to the early 1800s...
, Loughborough
Loughborough University
Loughborough University is a research based campus university located in the market town of Loughborough, Leicestershire, in the East Midlands of England...
and Bath
University of Bath
The University of Bath is a campus university located in Bath, United Kingdom. It received its Royal Charter in 1966....
, as well as foreign associateship of the National Academy of Engineering
National Academy of Engineering
The National Academy of Engineering is a government-created non-profit institution in the United States, that was founded in 1964 under the same congressional act that led to the founding of the National Academy of Sciences...
. Between 1965 and 1966 he served as president of the Institution of Chemical Engineers
Institution of Chemical Engineers
The Institution of Chemical Engineers is a global professional engineering institution with over 33,000 members in over 120 countries worldwide, founded in 1922, and awarded a Royal Charter in 1957.-Structure:...
, and after retiring from the Shell professorship in 1976 became the executive editor of Chemical Engineering Science. He died in Cambridge on 25 October 1984, with his wife surviving him. His son from his relationship with Eileen Mitchell, Peter Jonathon Mitchell, lives in Australia.
Further reading
- N. Amundsen (1986) Chemical Engineering Research and Design, Volume 64a pp 233–240 "P. V. Danckwerts - His Ressearch Career and its Significance"