Professor Neville Curtis

I received my PhD in physical organic chemistry from the University of Alberta in 1981 before looking at the chemistry of organic molecules bound to metal ions at the Australian National University. I joined DSTO (now DST group) in 1984 to look at the stability of nitrocellulose gun propellants. Like many chemists in non-academia I then migrated to Soft Operations Research focussing on the "Problems" and "Messes" end of the spectrum with an emphasis on Land Force operations. I was involved (as Visiting Professor) in the establishment and running of the Australian Defence Force Academy's (part of the University of New South Wales) course in Operations Research. Since retiring, I am doing two days a week as a volunteer at the South Australian Museum and Flinders University with a focus on the chemistry of opals. I am unable to accept graduate students.