Arthur Vick

Sir Francis Arthur Vick (born June 5, 1911 , † September 2, 1998 in Warwick ) was a British physicist and university and research administrator.

Vick went to school in Birmingham and studied physics at Birmingham University , where he received his bachelor's degree in 1932 and his PhD in solid state physics in 1936. From 1936 to 1944 he was an assistant lecturer and then a lecturer at University College London . During World War II he became Deputy Research Director in the Ministry of Supply and after the war he was Lecturer and Professor at the University of Manchester and Vice Principal and Acting Principal at the University College of North Staffordshire (later Keele University ) from 1950 to 1954 . In 1959 he became an assistant director and from 1960 to 1964 he was director of the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE). He was then a member of the United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority (UKAEA), responsible for research. From 1966 to 1976 he was Vice Chancellor of Queen's University Belfast , which he led through the troubled times of the beginnings of the Northern Ireland conflict. During this time he also founded an art festival at the university and ensured that the engineering sciences were expanded in cooperation with industry (centers for signal processing and automation). In 1973 he was knighted as a Knight Bachelor for his services to the university system of Northern Ireland. In retirement he lived in Warwick. From 1977 to 1992 he was Pro-Chancellor of the newly formed University of Warwick .

He has received honorary doctorates from Keele University, Birmingham University and Queen's University Belfast. From 1964 to 1972 he was President of the Association of Teachers in Colleges and Departments of Education. In personal dealings, he was considered friendly and reserved. In 1945 he was accepted as an officer in the Order of the British Empire .

In 1943 he married Elizabeth Story and had a daughter with her.

Web links

• Obituary in The Independent, September 17, 1998