Does Membership of the Royal Society Affect Careers? A Trio in Twentieth-Century Organic Chemistry (2010)
Morris, Peter John Turnbull (Author)
Notes and Records: The Royal Society Journal of the History of Science
Volume: 64
Pages: S77--S87
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.
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