Does membership of the Royal Society affect careers? A trio in twentieth-century organic chemistry

Morris, Peter J. T.

Does membership of the Royal Society affect careers? A trio in twentieth-century organic chemistry

Resource type

Journal article

Creator (person)

Morris, Peter J. T.

Date published

September 20, 2010

Abstract

The issue of how the Royal Society has influenced science in the twentieth century is a complex one, and it is not easy to show its impact. It is even more difficult to demonstrate the effect of being a FRS on individual careers. This paper looks at three leading organic chemists in twentieth-century Britain who were connected academically—Perkin, Robinson and Todd. Did their relatively early Fellowships of the Royal Society deliver glittering careers? This study shows that career advancement in twentieth-century chemistry was a complex interaction between scientific merit, social networks and that elusive quality, scientific reputation. Being a Fellow of the Royal Society is one element in this mix, but it was not the decisive one for our trio. However, this paper suggests that having a supervisor who is a FRS is a key factor both in achieving a glittering career and becoming a FRS.