Judith Howard facts for kids
Quick facts for kids
Judith Howard
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| Born |
Judith Ann Kathleen Duckworth
21 October 1945 Cleethorpes, Lincolnshire, England, United Kingdom
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| Nationality | British |
| Alma mater | University of Bristol (BSc) University of Oxford (DPhil) |
| Spouse(s) | John Wright |
| Awards | Royal Society of Chemistry Prize for Structural Chemistry (1999) |
| Scientific career | |
| Fields | Chemistry Crystallography |
| Institutions | Durham University University of Oxford |
| Thesis | The study of some organic crystal structures by neutron diffraction |
| Doctoral advisor | Dorothy Hodgkin |
| Doctoral students | Jacqui Cole |
Judith Ann Kathleen Howard was born on October 21, 1945, in Cleethorpes, England. She is a British chemist and a crystallographer. This means she studies how atoms are arranged in solid materials. She is also a Professor of Chemistry at Durham University.
Growing Up and School
Judith Howard went to Salisbury Grammar School for girls. In 1963, she started studying chemistry at the University of Bristol.
While she was still a student, she worked on a special chemical compound. This work became her very first published scientific paper.
She earned her first degree, a Bachelor of Science, from the University of Bristol. Later, she went to the University of Oxford for her advanced degree, a Doctor of Philosophy (DPhil). There, she studied the structure of insulin with her supervisor, Dorothy Hodgkin.
Career and Research
In 1991, Judith Howard became a Professor of Crystallography at Durham University. She has written or helped write over 1,500 scientific papers. This shows how much she has contributed to science.
Professor Howard's research focuses on X-ray crystallography. This is a way to find out the exact arrangement of atoms in crystals. She is interested in how liquids turn into crystals right where they are. She also studies crystals at very cold temperatures or under high pressure.
Her work helps scientists understand how materials behave. She has even created special tools that help other scientists with their crystallography research. She also leads the team for a special computer program called Olexsys. This program helps scientists understand their crystallography data.
Judith Howard is very active in the world of science. She was one of the first people to start the British Crystallographic Association. She also served as its Secretary and later as its President. She was the first woman to lead a top-rated chemistry department, which was at the University of Durham.
Awards and Honours
Judith Howard has received many important awards and honours for her work.
- In 1986, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of Bristol.
- In 2005, she received another honorary degree from the University of Bath.
- In 2016, she received an honorary Doctor of Science degree from the University of East Anglia.
Other awards include:
- 1996: She was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This is a special honour from the Queen of England.
- 1999: She won the Royal Society of Chemistry (RSC) Prize for Structural Chemistry.
- 2002: She was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS). This is a very high honour for scientists in the United Kingdom.
