John G. Collier

Who was John G. Collier?

John Gordon Collier FRS was a British chemical engineer and administrator, particularly associated with nuclear power for electricity production. He started as an apprentice at Harwell United Kingdom Atomic Energy Authority and rose to become chairman of UKAEA.

Collier was born 22 January 1935 in Streatham, London, and went to St Paul's School before joining the UKAEA as an apprentice. He studied part time for A-levels, then went to University College London where he gained a first class degree in chemical engineering in 1956.

He returned to UKAEA Harwell, and married a secretary from the establishment, Ellen, in 1956. They had two children, Clare and John. He left the UKAEA in 1962 for employment in the nuclear power industry in Canada and the UK, but returned to head its chemical engineering division in 1966, then became head of safety and reliability. During this time he published a book Convective Boiling and Condensation which became a standard reference. In 1983 he became director-general of the Central Electricity Generating Board CEGB, but returned to the UKAEA as deputy chairman in 1986 and chairman in 1987.