Ruth Lynden-Bell is a chemist who has made crucial advancements in our knowledge of the properties of liquids and disordered solids — solids with abnormal structures. She has pioneered new techniques over her career, identifying previously unknown key physical processes using simulation and theoretical development.
During her early career she applied statistics to the properties of liquids and disordered solids. Later on, she used pioneering computer simulation to test theories and widen the possible areas of study. Of particular interest is her work on the interaction between particles that are dissolving and the solvent around them.
Her work is deemed clear and elegant and provides well-supported explanations. Her main place of study has been the University of Cambridge, where she met her husband Donald Lynden-Bell, an astrophysicist. In 2003, she was awarded a Leverhulme Emeritus Fellowship. She has served on the editorial boards of the Journal of Chemical Physics, Chemical Physics letters and Science and Molecular Physics.
Professional position
- Emeritus Professor, Queen's University Belfast
- Emerita Fellow, Murray Edwards College, University of Cambridge
Subject groups
- Chemistry
Chemistry, theoretical
