David Clary

Sir David Clary
Sir David Clary, from the portrait by Keith Breeden
Born	David Charles Clary (1953-01-14)14 January 1953 Halesworth,Suffolk,United Kingdom
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of Sussex(BSc) University of Cambridge(PhD)
Known for	Quantum theoryforchemical reactions
Spouse	Heather Ann Clary
Awards	FRS(1997) Knight Bachelor(2016) International Honorary Member ofAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciences(2003) Royal Society of Chemistry: Meldola Medal and Prize(1981), Marlow Award(1986), Corday-Morgan Prize(1989), Chemical Dynamics Award (1998), Tilden Prize(1998), Polanyi Medal(2004), Liversidge Award(2010), Spiers Memorial Award(2018) Annual Medal ofInternational Academy of Quantum Molecular Science(1989)
Scientific career
Fields	Theoretical Chemistry
Institutions	IBMSan JoseCalifornia University of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology University of Cambridge Magdalene College, Cambridge University College London University of Oxford Magdalen College, Oxford Foreign & Commonwealth Office
Doctoral advisor	Nicholas C. Handy
Website	www.magd.ox.ac.uk/people/professor-sir-david-clary/

Sir David Charles Clary,FRS(born 14 January 1953) is a Britishtheoretical chemist.He waspresidentofMagdalen College, Oxford,from 2005 to 2020.He was the firstchief scientific adviserto theForeign and Commonwealth Officefrom 2009 to 2013. He is a Professor of Chemistry at theUniversity of Oxford.

Education

He was born in Halesworth, Suffolk, and attendedColchester Royal Grammar Schoolfrom 1964 to 1971. He has aBSc(1974) from theUniversity of Sussexand aPhD(1977) andScD(1997) from theUniversity of Cambridge,where he was atCorpus Christi College.He undertook post-doctoral research atIBMinSan Jose,California,and at theUniversity of Manchester.

Appointments

In 1980, he was appointed lecturer at theUniversity of Manchester Institute of Science and Technology(UMIST). In 1983, he was appointed lecturer and then reader in theoretical chemistry at theUniversity of Cambridge,where he was fellow and senior tutor ofMagdalene College.In 1996, he was made director of the Centre for Theoretical andComputational Chemistryand professor atUniversity College London.In 2002, he moved to theUniversity of Oxford,where he was head of the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and professorial fellow ofSt John's College.He was electedPresident of Magdalen College, Oxfordin 2005.

He was editor ofChemical Physics Lettersfrom 2000-2020 and was a reviewing editor ofSciencefrom 2003-16. He has held numerous visiting fellowships and given several named lectures.

Some of his work as the first chief scientific advisor to theForeign and Commonwealth Officeis described in an article inScience and Diplomacy.

Awards

In 1997 Clary was elected aFellow of the Royal Societyfor his development of thequantum theoryforchemical reactions.He is a Fellow of theAmerican Association for the Advancement of Science,theAmerican Physical Society,theRoyal Society of Chemistry(RSC) and theInstitute of Physics;International Honorary Member of theAmerican Academy of Arts and Sciencesand a member of theInternational Academy of Quantum Molecular Science.He was elected Einstein Professor of theChinese Academy of Sciencesin 2014 and an honorary fellow of theChemical Research Society of Indiain 2019. He received an honorary DSc from theUniversity of Sussex(2011), and was elected an honorary fellow ofMagdalene College, Cambridgein 2005 andMagdalen College, Oxfordin 2020.

Clary wasknightedin the Queen's 2016 Birthday Honours for services to international science.The citation for his knighthood stated:

"Professor Clary has made an outstanding contribution to enhancing the international reputation of UK science and higher education. Through his leadership, he has enhanced Magdalen College’s position as one of the leading academic institutions in the world. In his own scientific research he developed new theories for calculating the rates of chemical reactions. As Head of the Division of Mathematical and Physical Sciences at Oxford University he facilitated links between physical, life and medical sciences, helping to raise Oxford's profile as a leader for scientific research and innovation. As the first FCO Chief Scientific Adviser he enhanced significantly the visibility of UK science and innovation overseas, being a major proponent of using scientific collaborations to enhance international relations."

Research

The citation for his election as aFellow of the Royal Societystates:

"Professor Clary is distinguished for his use of quantum collision theory as a practical tool for explaining a wide variety of experimental results in chemical reaction dynamics. His general theories and computational methods enable reliable predictions to be made on the reactions, energy transfer and dissociation of polyatomic molecules in selected quantum states. His work also has important applications in understanding interstellar, combustion and atmospheric chemistry, as the extreme temperatures of these environments can be hard to reproduce in the laboratory, but are readily treated with these theoretical methods."

His current research focus is in developingsemiclassical rate theoriesfor chemical reactions.

He is an authority onErwin Schrödinger,the discoverer of the form ofquantum theoryknown aswave mechanicsand Fellow ofMagdalen College, Oxford.

Books

• Schrödinger in Oxford,World Scientific Publishing, 2022.
• The Lost Scientists of World War II,World Scientific Publishing, 2024.

External links

• Biography at Magdalen College
• Oxford University biography
• Biography at the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science
• Royal Society biography