They Had To Go: Australian Chemists Who Took Doctor of Philosophy Degrees in Britain, 1945-1965.

摘要

This study reports on 159 Australianrngraduates in chemistry who completedrndoctoral degree studies in Britain duringrnthe twenty years following the Second WorldrnWar. Soon after the beginning of this periodrnthe PhD degree became available inrnAustralia, and by 1954 the Australianrnchemistry PhDs outnumbered thosernawarded to Australian chemists in Britain.rnAlmost 90% of the study group returned tornmake their careers in Australia, nearly halfrnof them in the rapidly expanding universityrnsystem. The data assembled in this studyrnare used as the basis for discussion ofrnlinkages between Australian and Britishrnuniversities, scholarship and travel support,rnthe paucity of women in the cohort, andrnpatterns of subsequent careers. Therncontinued popularity of the British doctoraternenabled the Australian government tornintroduce gradually the adequate financialrnsupport needed for postgraduate researchrnstudies in Australia. The practice ofrnundertaking doctoral studies in Britain wasrnof benefit to Australia in establishing andrnmaintaining those personal and institutionalrnnetworks that are so important in thernworld of scientific research.