Rod Boswell

Roderick William Boswell AM FAA FTSE (born 1932 in Yackandandah)[1] is an Australian physicist. He is a professor at the Australian National University in Canberra, in the Space Plasma, Power and Propulsion group of the Plasma Research Laboratory.[2] He invented a technology which become the basis for the development of a new type of rocket thruster, the Helicon Double Layer Thruster: the ongoing development of the Australian Plasma Thruster is supported by the European Space Agency.[3]

After taking his B.Sc. at the University of Adelaide, he completed a Ph.D. at Flinders University.[1] His graduate studies were undertaken at Flinders University, in South Australia where, in 1969, he was instrumental in establishing the radical student newspaper "Empire Times" by purchasing and running, in the living room of his home, an offset press, thereby liberating the new newspaper from the censorious tendencies of commercial printers.[4]

His honours and awards include:

  1. ^ a b Rod W. Boswell - The Story, people.physics.anu.edu.au
  2. ^ "To infinity and beyond: Progress of the Australian Plasma Thruster". School Seminar Program. Research School of Physics & Engineering, Australian National University. 20 September 2012.
  3. ^ "ESA and Australian team develop breakthrough in space propulsion". ESA. 18 January 2006. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  4. ^ Aidan Cornelius-Bell (18 October 2021). Student Activism in Higher Education: The politics of students' role in hegemonic university change (PDF) (Thesis). Flinders University. Retrieved 1 March 2023.
  5. ^ "Plasma Science & Technology Division Plasma Prize". American Vacuum Society. Retrieved 26 January 2024.
  6. ^ "Centenary Medal". It's an Honour. 1 January 2001.
  7. ^ "Fellows elected in 2008". Archived from the original on 23 March 2016.
  8. ^ "Boswell". People.physics.anu.edu.au. Retrieved 11 August 2015.
  9. ^ "Member of the Order of Australia (AM)". It's an Honour. 26 January 2012.