Cyril Hilsum facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Cyril Hilsum
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Hilsum at a physics conference
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| Born | 17 May 1925 |
| Died | 23 September 2026 (aged 101) |
| Education | University College London |
| Known for | liquid-crystal science and technology |
| Children | Lindsey Hilsum and Karen Burt |
| Awards | FREng (1978) Max Born Prize (1987) Faraday Medal (1988) Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize (1997) Royal Medal (2007) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Physics |
| Institutions | Hirst Research Centre, Services Electronics Research Laboratory |
Cyril Hilsum was a famous British scientist who studied how materials work. He was a leading physicist who helped invent parts for modern gadgets. He became widely known for his research on electronic materials called semiconductors. Because of his great ideas, he joined the National Academy of Engineering in 1983. Hilsum lived a very long life as a celebrated centenarian. He made major discoveries that changed how people view computer screens today.
Contents
Early Life and Education
Hilsum grew up in England with two brothers. In 1936, he started attending Raine's Foundation School to study his lessons. He worked hard and left school in 1943 to go to college. He entered University College London to study science and earn his degree. At university, he learned about physics and how electricity travels through matter. These early lessons prepared him for a lifetime of exciting discoveries.
Scientific Career in Research Laboratories
Working for National Laboratories
After finishing college in 1945, Hilsum joined the Royal Naval Scientific Service. In 1947, he moved to work at the Admiralty Research Laboratory. He studied how naval equipment could use new electronic devices. By 1950, he transferred to the Services Electronics Research Laboratory. He spent fourteen years there testing new ideas. In 1964, he moved to the Royal Radar Establishment to study radar systems. He worked closely with the Ministry of Defence on top research projects.
Leading Big Discoveries in Industry
In 1983, Hilsum became the chief scientist at the Hirst Research Centre. He directed large teams of researchers who built new electronic tools. Later, he served as a research advisor for companies like Cambridge Display Technology. He also gave expert advice to the European Commission and the company Unilever. Hilsum even taught younger students as a visiting professor at University College London. Many organizations respected his clear advice on complex electronic problems.
Amazing Inventions and Discoveries
How Did Hilsum Change Computer Screens?
Hilsum helped create parts used in modern LCD flat screens. An LCD is a liquid-crystal display used on digital watches and televisions. His research helped bring over one hundred million pounds to the British government. Because of his work, screens became thinner, lighter, and much brighter. The British Liquid Crystal Society created a special medal named after him. They give this award to scientists who do amazing work with liquid crystals.
Lasers and Electronic Chips
Hilsum also studied special chemical mixtures, including group III and group V elements. He explored a useful material known as gallium arsenide for tiny circuits. Using this material, he built the very first British semiconductor laser. A semiconductor laser creates a narrow beam of bright, focused light. Hilsum helped develop the famous Ridley Watkins Hilsum theory with two other scientists. This theory explained how electrons move through certain crystals to create high-frequency radio waves. Their clever idea became the scientific foundation for making the Gunn diode.
Major Awards and Special Honors
Hilsum won many top prizes throughout his long career in science. In 1978, other scientists gave him the prestigious Heinrich Welker Memorial Award. That same year, he became a Fellow of the Royal Academy. In 1979, colleagues elected him as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He also served as the president of the Institute of Physics.
Hilsum was awarded the Max Born Prize for his physics work in 1987. In 1988, he earned the famous Faraday Medal for his electronics discoveries. Queen Elizabeth II named him a Commander of the Order of the British Empire in 1990. In 1998, he received the Richard Glazebrook Medal and Prize. He was the first person to win both the Glazebrook and Faraday medals. Later, in 2007, he received the very rare Royal Medal. An artist named Nick Sinclair photographed him for the National Portrait Gallery. Near the end of his life, he won an Elektra Lifetime Achievement Award.
Family Life and Legacy
Hilsum married his wife, Betty, and they raised two daughters together. One daughter, named Lindsey Hilsum, became a famous television journalist for Channel 4. His other daughter, named Karen Burt, became a talented engineer. After Karen passed away, the Women's Engineering Society created an award in her memory. Hilsum proudly supported this award to encourage women to become great engineers. He also wrote an article in The Guardian honoring his friend Gareth Roberts. Cyril Hilsum lived to celebrate his one-hundredth birthday and passed away peacefully in 2026.
Published Books
- Semiconducting III-V Compounds, published in 1961
- Liquid Crystals, published in 1985
- Device Physics, published in 1993
- Communications After AD2000, published in 1993
