The Whats of a Scientific Life

John R. Helliwell is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University of Manchester. He was Director of Synchrotron Radiation Science at the Council for the Central Laboratories of the Research Councils (CCLRC). Professor Helliwell has served as President of the European Crystallographic Association (ECA). He was awarded a DSc degree in physics from the University of York in 1996 and a DPhil in molecular biophysics from the University of Oxford in 1978. He is a Fellow of the Institute of Physics, the Royal Society of Chemistry, the Royal Society of Biology, and the American Crystallographic Association. He is an Emeritus Member of the Biochemical Society. In 1997, he was made an Honorary Member of the National Institute of Chemistry, Slovenia. In 2000 he was awarded the Professor K Banerjee Centennial Silver Medal by the Indian Association for the Cultivation of Science in Calcutta, India. In 2015 he was elected a corresponding member of the Royal Academy of Sciences and Arts of Barcelona, Spain. He was made an Honorary Member of the British Biophysical Society in 2017. The same year, he became a Faculty 1000 Member, charged with highlighting significant science publications. He was elected an Honorary Life Member of the British Crystallographic Association in 2019. He was a Lonsdale Lecturer of the British Crystallographic Association in 2011, the Patterson Prize Awardee of the American Crystallographic Association in 2014, and the Max Perutz Prize Awardee of the European Crystallographic Association in 2015. Professor Helliwell has published more than 200 research publications and two research monographs. He has held leading roles within the International Union of Crystallography, most recently as Chairman of its Committee on Data and Chairman of its Book Series. He has chaired various science advisory committees at synchrotron X-ray and neutron facilities around the world including in France, Spain, Japan, the USA, Australia and Sweden.

Part I Introduction

1 What Is the Scientific Life?

2 What Is Physics?

3 What Is Chemistry?

4 What Is Biology?

Part II Scientific Career Choices: What to Do When Faced With …

5 Junctions

6 Crossroads

7 Roundabouts

8 Traffic Lights

9 Obstacles

10 Mountains

Part III Examples of What Science Delivers or Will Deliver in the Future

11 With Physics We Can See Atoms

12 Acceleration of Chemical Reactions by Catalysts: A Wonder of the Natural World

13 Understanding Colour: Paintings, Camouflage, Clothes and Cosmetics

14 The Universe Exists and the Big Bang ‘Start’ of the Universe: The ‘Red Shift’ and the Expansion of the Universe

15 Is There Life Elsewhere in the Universe? The Role of the Square Kilometre Array Radio Astronomy Project

16 Predicting Climate Change on Earth

Part IV Science and Mathematics: Across the Disciplines and Side by Side With Engineering

17 Science and Mathematics: Newtonian Dynamics and Molecular Dynamics

18 Science across the Disciplines: Curiosity Respects No Science Subject Boundaries

19 Science Side by Side with Engineering

Part V Science Is a Process

20 Successes Involve Striving to Avoid Failures in Science

Part VI A Trend: The Coming Together of the Sciences and the Social Sciences

21 The International Council for Science: A Very Important Event

Appendices My Reviews of Books Regarding the Whats of a Scientific Life

Appendix A1: The Social Function of Science, by J. D. Bernal

Appendix A2: The Effective Scientist: A Handy Guide to a Successful Scientific Career, by Corey J. A. Bradshaw

Appendix A3: Scientific Leadership, by J. W. (Hans) Niemantsverdriet and Jan-Karel Felderhof

Appendix A4: Managing Science: Developing Your Research, Leadership and Management Skills, by K. Peach

Appendix A5: Writing Chemistry Patents and Intellectual Property: a Practical Guide, by Francis J. Waller

Appendix A6: The Scientific Method: Reflections from a Practitioner, by M. di Ventra