A. Lindsay Greer

A. Lindsay Greer
Born	Alan Lindsay Greer
Nationality	British
Alma mater	University of Cambridge (MA, PhD)
Known for	Metallic glasses; crystal nucleation; grain refinement
Scientific career
Fields	Materials science
Institutions	University of Cambridge; Harvard University
Doctoral advisor	John Leake

Alan Lindsay Greer (publishing as A. Lindsay Greer) is a British materials scientist and professor at the University of Cambridge, known for research on metallic glasses, crystal nucleation and microstructural kinetics. He served as Head of the Department of Materials Science and Metallurgy from 2006 to 2013 and as Head of the School of the Physical Sciences from 2016 to 2019. Since 2024 he has been President of the Cambridge Philosophical Society. ^[1]

Early life and education

Greer studied at the University of Cambridge, where he earned the MA and PhD degrees (Trinity Hall). His doctoral research was supervised by John Leake. ^[2] He subsequently held postdoctoral and faculty appointments at Harvard University before returning to Cambridge. ^[3]

Career

At Cambridge, Greer’s roles have included Head of the Department of Materials Science & Metallurgy (2006–2013) and Head of the School of the Physical Sciences (2016–2019). ^[4] As Head of the School of the Physical Sciences (2016–2019), Greer oversaw several Cambridge departments, including Physics, Chemistry, Earth Sciences, and Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics. ^[5] He initiated the Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre and served as its inaugural chair. ^[6] He is also an editor of Philosophical Magazine . ^[3]

Research

Greer’s research focuses on metallic materials far from equilibrium, including metallic glasses, thin-film multilayers and kinetic analysis of phase transformations. His publications include widely cited overviews of metallic glasses in Science (1995) and Materials Today (2009). ^{[7] [8]} His work has been covered in independent science media, including Physics World, which reported on strain-hardening metallic glasses in 2020. ^[9]

Awards and honours

Greer’s awards and honours include:

• Bruce Chalmers Award (2012), The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society (TMS). ^[10]
• A. A. Griffith Medal and Prize (2009), Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). ^[11]
• Hume Rothery Prize and Cook-Ablett Award (IOM3); Honda Kotaro Memorial Medal (Tohoku University); Lee Hsun Lecture Award (Chinese Academy of Sciences); Leibniz Medal (IFW Dresden); ISMANAM Senior Scientist Medal. ^[12]
• John Hunt Medal (IOM3). ^[13]

Selected publications

• A. L. Greer (1995). “Metallic Glasses.” Science 267 (5206): 1947–1953. doi:10.1126/science.267.5206.1947.
• A. Lindsay Greer (2009). “Metallic glasses… on the threshold.” Materials Today 12 (1–2): 14–22. doi:10.1016/S1369-7021(09)70037-9.
• K. F. Kelton; A. L. Greer (2010). Nucleation in Condensed Matter: Applications in Materials and Biology. Elsevier. ISBN 978-0-08-042147-6.

Offices and service

• President, Cambridge Philosophical Society (2024–2026). ^[14] The Society, founded in 1819, has had presidents including J. J. Thomson, Ernest Rutherford, and Paul Dirac. ^[15]
• Editor, Philosophical Magazine. ^[3]

References

1. "Professor Lindsay Greer becomes CPS President". Cambridge Philosophical Society. 1 January 2024. Archived from the original on 17 January 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
2. "Prof. A. Lindsay Greer (short bio)" (PDF). 4TU.HTM. 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
3. "Professor Lindsay Greer". University of Cambridge Energy IRC. University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 3 December 2023. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
4. "Professor Lindsay Greer — Henry Royce Institute". Henry Royce Institute. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
5. "School of the Physical Sciences". University of Cambridge. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
6. "Professor Lindsay Greer — Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre". Cambridge Nuclear Energy Centre. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
7. Greer, A. L. (1995). "Metallic Glasses" . Science. 267 (5206): 1947–1953. Bibcode:1995Sci...267.1947G. doi:10.1126/science.267.5206.1947. PMID   17770105. Archived from the original on 23 March 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
8. Greer, A. Lindsay (2009). "Metallic glasses… on the threshold". Materials Today. 12 (1–2): 14–22. doi: 10.1016/S1369-7021(09)70037-9 .
9. "Strain hardening in metallic glasses extends their working range". Physics World. 4 June 2020. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
10. "TMS 2012: Honors & Awards". The Minerals, Metals & Materials Society. 2012. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
11. "Annual report and financial statements 2009". Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. 2009. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
12. "Professor Lindsay Greer — Henry Royce Institute". Henry Royce Institute. Archived from the original on 23 June 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
13. "Annual report and financial statements 2018". Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining. 2018. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
14. "Who we are". Cambridge Philosophical Society. Archived from the original on 15 July 2025. Retrieved 3 September 2025.
15. "Past Presidents of the Society". Cambridge Philosophical Society. Retrieved 3 September 2025.

External links

• University profile (Cambridge Energy IRC) Archived 3 December 2023 at the Wayback Machine
• Henry Royce Institute profile
• ORCID profile Archived 11 May 2025 at the Wayback Machine
• CPS lecture: To Bend or to Break? — new views on the hardening of metals (YouTube)