| Authorised form of name | Cullen; Alexander Lamb (1920 - 2013) |
| Dates | 1920 - 2013 |
| Nationality | British |
| Place of birth | London, England |
| Date of birth | 30/04/1920 |
| Date of death | 27/12/2013 |
| Research field | Electrical engineering |
| Activity | Education:
Lincoln School; Imperial College London
Career:
A jazz band drummer turned electrical engineer who developed ways to detect faults in radio signals. He developed a method of measuring the radiation pattern from an antenna using a modulaed near-field scatterer (a device which charts the scattering of radiation and round antennae, producing maps which allow engineers to detect faults.) Also developed methods of measuring the flow of power through wave guides - structures that direct waves, such as electromagnetic waves or sound waves, to their destination.
Joined the staff of the radio department of the Royal Aircraft Establishment at Farnborough during the Second World War. Lectureship at University College London (1946-1955); where he worked with Harold Barlow in building up microwave research. Appoointed Chair of Electrical Engineering at the University of Sheffield (1955-66); returned to UCL to succeed Barlow as Pender Professor of Electrical Engineeering and Head of Department (1967).
Honours:
OBE 1960 |
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 17/03/1977 |
| Age at election | 56 |
| RSActivity | Royal Society roles:
Council: 1984-1986
Medals and prizes:
Royal Medal 1984 - for his research on microwave anatennae
Lectures:
Clifford Paterson 1984 |
| Relationships | Married Margaret Lamb (1940) who died in 2008. One daughter and two sons. |
| Source |
Obiuary in Daily Telegraph 3 March 2014. |
| Virtual International Authority File | http://viaf.org/viaf/117073512 |
| Code | NA532 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1977/13 | Cullen, Alexander Lamb: certificate of election to the Royal Society | 1976 |
| HWT/39/129 | Great Britain-China Committee (later Great Britain-China Centre) | July - August 1982 |
| HWT/25/7 | Correspondence and papers regarding premature return to China (due to Cultural Revolution) of Chinese research workers in Britain | January - September 1967 |
| IM/GA/RGRS/8018 | Cullen, Alexander Lamb | 1977 |
| HWT/39/127 | Great Britain-China Committee (later Great Britain-China Centre) | January - March 1982 |