About Prof Noel Hush (1924 – 2019) 

The AMMA Mid-Career Award was established in 2023 in Honour of Prof Noel Hush, whose career in theoretical and computational chemistry spanned eight decades. Prof Hush was an internationally recognised leader who made significant contributions to developing models of electron transfer reactions in chemical systems, which are still used to interpret various processes and phenomena in chemistry, biochemistry and material sciences. His research impact was wide-ranging, from optimising photosynthesis for biofuel production, to controlling corrosion and developing materials for solar energy.

Prof Hush was born in 1924 in Sydney, and following high school, he started his tertiary education at the University of Sydney. Inspired by the works of Linus Pauling and his contemporaries, the young Noel Hush became fascinated with quantum mechanics and how it can reveal the inner workings of chemical reactions. He received his Bachelor of Science (1945) and Master of Science (1949) from the University of Sydney, culminating in a Nature paper. He was then offered a lectureship at Manchester University to work at a centre for theoretical chemistry created by Prof Michael Polanyi, with whom Prof Hush shared a passion for chemistry as well as philosophical and political writings, and interest in dealing with social issues of the time.

In 1955, Prof Hush moved to the University of Bristol, where he worked as a lecturer and later as a reader. Based on his prolific publications, he was awarded a Doctor of Science by Manchester University in 1959. He returned to the University of Sydney in 1971, where he founded the Department of Theoretical Chemistry, the first in Australia. Under his leadership, the department earned a reputation for excellence in theoretical and computational chemistry teaching and research. Prof Hush was a great supporter of students and was passionate about mentoring early-career researchers and supporting Women in Chemistry.

During his long career, Prof Hush’s work was recognised by a number of awards, including the Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science, the Royal Society (London), and the National Academy of Sciences, USA. He was appointed an Officer of the Order of Australia in 1993.