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Historical Records of Australian Science Historical Records of Australian Science Society
The history of science, pure and applied, in Australia, New Zealand and the southwest Pacific
RESEARCH ARTICLE

Alan Forrest Reid 1931–2013

K. Reid

Historical Records of Australian Science 27(2) 192 - 210
Published: 07 November 2016

Abstract

Dr Alan Reid is remembered as the founding father of automated mineralogy. He achieved international recognition as a research scientist, and was also a visionary leader within CSIRO, Australia's largest scientific organization. Reid contributed a distinguished body of basic research to solid state chemistry, publishing on organometallics, thermodynamics, crystal structures, high pressure minerals and mineral processing. He went on to lead development of processes that greatly benefited industry. These included the solar absorber surface AMCRO, and the QEM*SEM analysis that automatically characterized mineral assemblages. As an Institute Director at CSIRO he made important contributions to the structure and business processes of the organization, during a period of upheaval unprecedented in its history. It was Reid's leadership and perseverance that led to the establishment of the Queensland Centre for Advanced Technologies, the Australian Resources Research Centre in Western Australia, and major redevelopment of the CSIRO site at North Ryde in NSW. A master of broad collaboration with researchers, academics, companies and government agencies, when he retired from CSIRO Reid further benefited Australian science as a consultant to government and industry. The mineral reidite, a high pressure phase of ZrSiO4, is named after this tireless polymath.

https://doi.org/10.1071/HR15011

© Australian Academy of Science 2016

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