John Pople

John Anthony Pople was a British mathematician, chemist, physicist, and university teacher. He was born in Burnham-on-Sea and died in Chicago from liver cancer. Pople held citizenship in the United Kingdom and earned a Doctor of Philosophy from Trinity College, University of Cambridge, under the supervision of John Lennard-Jones. His professional career included positions at the National Physical Laboratory, the University of Cambridge, Carnegie Mellon University, and Northwestern University.

Pople’s work focused on theoretical chemistry, quantum chemistry, and computational chemistry. He received the Nobel Prize in Chemistry, the Copley Medal, and the Knight Commander of the Order of the British Empire. He was elected as a Fellow of the Royal Society and was a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science, the American Academy of Arts and Sciences, and the Australian Academy of Science. He was also the doctoral advisor to David Buckingham.