Sir John Edwin Enderby

Abstract John Enderby was an experimental physicist who investigated the liquid state of matter. His enduring achievement and primary scientific contribution was to show how neutron scattering combined with isotope substitution could be used to extract the partial structure factors in a broad range of liquid materials, including liquid metals, liquid semiconductors, ionic liquids and aqueous solutions. In the case of liquid metals and alloys, John showed how structural measurements could be used to interpret electrical transport properties. John’s ability to tackle and communicate effectively on a variety of complex scientific issues, coupled with his outstanding management abilities, led to his appointment to a number of senior administrative roles, including head of the Physics Department at the Universities of Leicester and Bristol, Directeur-Adjoint of the Institut Laue Langevin in Grenoble, Vice President and Physical Secretary of the Royal Society, chair of the Physics Panel of the 2001 UK Research Assessment Exercise and president of the Institute of Physics. John was also editor of Proceedings of the Royal Society A and chief scientist for the Institute of Physics Publishing. He was awarded a knighthood for his services to science and technology. John will be remembered and missed greatly for his inclusive enthusiasm for all things scientific, as well as for his engaging sense of humour.