John R. Philip

Who was John R. Philip?

John Robert Philip FRS was an Australian soil physicist, internationally recognized for his contributions to the understanding of movement of water, energy and gases. While he never performed his own experimental work, he was recognised for his skills in mathematics that could be used to explain physical processes and solve real world problems.

His interests were not limited to Environmental mechanics and things mathematical, but included a keen interest in the arts. He was a published poet and a panelist on the Sulman Prize for Architecture. His poetry appears in anthologies edited by Judith Wright and in The Oxford Book of Australian Verse.