About Jack Dodd
Jack Dodd, (John Newton Dodd) President of the Royal Society from 1989-1993, was a man of great charisma and personal charm, and one of the first generation of New Zealand physicists to establish an international reputation for research work done in New Zealand.
His research area was the interaction of light and atoms, and his discovery and explanation of the phenomenon of quantum beats, helped establish the foundations for the important field of laser spectroscopy.
Jack became a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1964, and was appointed Beverly Professor of Physics at Otago in 1965, a position he held until his retirement in 1988. He was awarded the Hector medal of the Royal Society of New Zealand 1976 in recognition of his research achievements. The connections he pioneered with Oxford and JILA have been fruitful and enduring ones for Otago that have benefited many staff and students, and have led to reciprocal visits from colleagues at JILA and Oxford.
Jack led the Physics department for alternating periods between 1968 and 1987, deftly securing resources and opportunities for his staff, while cementing in a culture of excellence. He was Dean of Science for a term, and served on many high level committees within the University.
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John Newton Dodd,
MSc(Hons) PhD B'ham FRSNZ FInstP
1922 - 2005
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