Dr Terence Quinn CBE FRS

Physicist Terry Quinn is world renowned for developing accurate and reliable techniques for use in measurement — the science of which is known as metrology. Terry has created contemporary techniques for measuring electromagnetic radiation, temperature, mass and the gravitational constant, G, with extreme precision.

He began his research career at the National Physical Laboratory, where he worked to measure temperature and mass. Terry subsequently introduced cryogenic radiometry, a method now universally employed for measuring electromagnetic radiation. His development of the flexure strip balance enabled the accurate comparison of 1-kilogram masses, and his work in this area was showcased by the Defining the Kilogram exhibit at the Royal Society’s 2013 Summer Science Exhibition.

Though his longstanding leadership of the International Bureau of Weights and Measures (BIPM), Terry has driven forward new international standards for accurate measurement. He is the author of From Artefacts to Atoms: The BIPM and the Search for Ultimate Measurement Standards (2011), a book that charts the history of the BIPM, and received a CBE in 2004 for his services to the field.

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Dr Terence Quinn CBE FRS
Elected 2002