Professor Anthony Stone

Anthony is a Life Fellow, and is Emeritus Professor of Chemistry at the University.

Biography

Anthony grew up in Rugby and won a foundation scholarship to Rugby School, where he had very good teaching in Mathematics and the Physical Sciences. He studied Natural Sciences as an undergraduate at Emmanuel, specialising in Chemistry. He studied for his PhD in theoretical chemistry at Cambridge. He took up a post-doctorate position at Florida State University between 1963–64, and then returned to Cambridge in academic positions in the Department of Chemistry through to lecturer, reader and professor. He was elected to a research fellowship at Emmanuel in 1964, and subsequently to an Official Fellowship. Between 1987–1991, he was Fellows' Steward, and oversaw an extensive and much–needed refurbishment and modernisation of the kitchen and buttery. He was Vice Master 1997–2004. He flew gliders for some years in the 1960s and 1970s, and met his wife Sybil on the airfield. Later becoming attracted by English country dancing, he has enjoyed it for many years.

Teaching

Anthony taught Physical and Theoretical Chemistry, and also Mathematics, to Natural Sciences undergraduates from Emmanuel and other colleges. He was one of our Directors of Studies in Natural Sciences and a Tutor from the late 1960s, and later an Admissions Tutor.

Research

The main focus of his research for many years has been the study of the forces between molecules, and his concept of Distributed Multipole Analysis to describe the electrostatic interactions between molecules has become an important tool in the understanding and prediction of molecular crystal structures. His 1996 book, The Theory of Intermolecular Forces, is now in its second (2013) edition.