# William Mitchell (physicist)

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For other people named William Mitchell, see [William Mitchell (disambiguation)](/source/William_Mitchell_(disambiguation)).

**Sir Edgar William John Mitchell**, [1] (September 25, 1925 – October 30, 2002) was a British physicist, professor of [physics](/source/Physics) at [Reading](/source/University_of_Reading) and [Oxford](/source/University_of_Oxford), and he helped pioneer the field of [neutron scattering](/source/Neutron_scattering).[2]

Born in [Kingsbridge](/source/Kingsbridge), [Devon](/source/Devon), [England](/source/England), he studied physics at Sheffield University, which had become an important centre for research in radar and defence communications. In 1946 he took up a research position with [Metropolitan-Vickers](/source/Metropolitan-Vickers), leading to a secondment to [Bristol University](/source/Bristol_University), where Nobel laureate [Nevill Mott](/source/Nevill_Mott) was head of the department. After gaining his PhD, he took a position at Reading University in 1951, becoming professor of physics in 1961, and later dean of science and deputy vice chancellor. In 1978 he was named [Dr Lee's Professor of Experimental Philosophy](/source/Dr_Lee's_Professor_of_Experimental_Philosophy) at [Oxford University](/source/Oxford_University) and became the head of the [Clarendon laboratory](/source/Clarendon_laboratory).[2]

He was also a skilled administrator who served in many public capacities. He became chairman of [SERC](/source/Science_and_Engineering_Research_Council) in 1985, at a time of conflict between the British government and higher education over funding and independence. He was vice-president of the [European Science Foundation](/source/European_Science_Foundation) from 1989 to 1992 and president of [CERN](/source/CERN) in 1991.[2] Mitchell was also a member of the [SEPP](/source/Science_%26_Environmental_Policy_Project) Board of Science Advisors. He won the [Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize](/source/Richard_Glazebrook_Medal_and_Prize) in 1996.

## References

1. Cowley, R. A. (2004). "Sir Edgar William John Mitchell CBE. 25 September 1925 - 30 October 2002: Elected F.R.S. 1980". *[Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society](/source/Biographical_Memoirs_of_Fellows_of_the_Royal_Society)*. **50**: 171. [doi:10.1098/rsbm.2004.0013](https://doi.org/10.1098/rsbm.2004.0013). [S2CID 71058475](https://api.semanticscholar.org/CorpusID:71058475)

1. Wright, Pearce (November 12, 2002). ["Obituary: Sir William Mitchell | Education | The Guardian"](https://www.theguardian.com/news/2002/nov/12/guardianobituaries.obituaries). Retrieved 2011-07-27.

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