Interview with Emeritus Professor John Prescott – Pioneering Physics researcher focussing on Cosmic Rays, Luminescence and 3D spectrometers

Abstract

Professor Prescott began studying Physics at the University in 1942, and after completing Honours and a PhD degree worked around the world before becoming Professor of Physics at the University of Adelaide in 1971. His service to the University includes periods as Dean of Science, Chairman of Physics, Chairman of Physics and Mathematical Physics, Chairman of the Education Committee, Elder Professor of Physics and Honorary Visiting Research Fellow in the Department of Physics and Mathematical Physics. Professor Prescott’s main research interest was in cosmic rays, and he founded the Cosmic Ray and Luminescence Groups at the University. He then decided to apply his knowledge of physics to archaeology using the new technique of thermoluminescence dating. He set up a laboratory and conducted fieldwork at sites in Australia, China and Thailand, and his paper on cosmic ray penetration in sediments remains one of the most cited in the luminescence literature.