John Currie Gunn
| John Currie Gunn | |
|---|---|
| Born |
September 13, 1916 Glasgow, UK |
| Died | July 26, 2002 (aged 85) |
| Nationality | Scottish |
| Fields | Mathematics, Physics |
| Institutions | Glasgow University |
| Alma mater | Glasgow University |
| Doctoral students | Edwin Power, Bruno Touschek |
| Notable awards | Mayhew Prize (1939) |
Sir John Currie Gunn CBE FRSE (13 September 1916 – 26 July 2002) was an influential Scottish mathematician and physicist.
Gunn was born at 19 Kelvinside Gardens East, Glasgow, the son of Richard Robertson Gunn, a tailor and clothier, and his wife, Jane Blair, née Currie.
Gunn attended Glasgow Academy school and subsequently studied at Glasgow University where he was awarded the Logan Prize as Best Arts Student of the Year in 1937. He graduated with a degree in Mathematics and Natural Philosophy. Gunn went on to further study at St. John's College, Cambridge, where he conducted research in theoretical physics. His research led him to the development of counter and firing systems for mines, which were used during World War II. As a scholar of St. John’s College, Cambridge, he completed Parts II and III of the Mathematics Tripos examinations.
Just before World War II began, Gunn worked for three months with the thermodynamicist R.H. Fowler. He worked in the Admiralty scientific service from 1940 to 1945. He was part of a team of scientists and engineers led by Harrie Massey based first at Teddington, and then at the Admiralty Mining Establishment attached to HMS Vernon at Portsmouth. He was involved in researching countermeasures against German magnetic mines and in the development of a range of British non-contact mines. The team included many young physicists who would go on to make major scientific contributions, among them Francis Crick.
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