Professor Max Born, c mid-20th century

Max Born, born 11 December 1882, died 5 January 1970, was a German-British theoretical physicist who is known for his role in the development of quantum mechanics. Born shared the 1954 Nobel Prize in Physics with Walther Bothe for his research into quantum mechanics, particularly with wave function. Born attended the University of Göttingen in 1904, achieving his PhD in 1906, and his Habilitation there. Born married Hedwig Ehrenberg in 1913, and they had three children. During WWI, he worked as a radio operator and also in sound ranging. He then met Fritz Haber in 1918, after which they formulated the Born-Haber Cycle. Under Born, Göttingen became a world-leading institution of physics. After the Nazis came to power in 1933, as Born was Jewish, he was suspended from his job at the University of Göttingen, after which he emigrated to the United Kingdom, and took up a role at St. John's College, Cambridge. In October 1936, he became the Tait Professor of Natural Philosophy at the University of Edinburgh. Between 1935 and 1939, Born was Stateless, however, Born became a naturalised British citizen on 31 August 1939, a day before WWII broke out. He remained at Edinburgh as a professor until 1952 and then retired to West Germany where he stayed until his death in 1970, aged 87. In his life he received numerous awards, including the FRS (1939), the Max Planck Medal (1948), and the Hughes Medal (1950). His granddaughter is Olivia Newton-John. Born left these slides with the University of Edinburgh which feature prominent scientists of the early to mid-20th century.