Nicholas C. Handy Explained

Nicholas Handy
Birth Name:	Nicholas Charles Handy
Birth Date:	1941 6, df=yes
Fields:	Quantum Chemistry
Thesis1 Title:	and
Thesis2 Title:	)-->
Thesis1 Url:	and
Thesis2 Url:	)-->
Thesis1 Year:	and
Thesis2 Year:	)-->
Doctoral Advisor:	Samuel Francis Boys
Spouses:	)-->
Partners:	)-->

Nicholas Charles Handy (17 June 1941 – 2 October 2012) was a British theoretical chemist.^{[1] [2]} He retired as Professor of quantum chemistry at the University of Cambridge in September 2004.

Education and early life

Handy was born in Wiltshire, England and educated at Clayesmore School. He studied the Mathematical Tripos at the University of Cambridge and completed his PhD on theoretical chemistry supervised by Samuel Francis Boys.^[3]

Research

Handy wrote 320 scientific papers published in physical and theoretical chemistry journals.^{[4] [5]} Handy developed several methods in quantum chemistry and theoretical spectroscopy. His contributions have helped greatly to the understanding of:

• the transcorrelated method ^[6]
• the long range behaviour of Hartree–Fock orbitals
• semiclassical methods for vibrational energies
• the variational method for rovibrational wave-functions (in normal mode and internal coordinates)
• Full configuration interaction with Slater determinants (benchmark studies)
• convergence of the Møller–Plesset series
• the reaction path Hamiltonian
• Anharmonic spectroscopic and thermodynamic properties using higher derivative methods
• Brueckner-doubles theory
• Open shell Møller–Plesset theory
• frequency-dependent properties
• Density functional theory : quadrature, new functionals and molecular properties.

Awards and honours

Handy was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society (FRS) in 1990.^[4] He was awarded the Leverhulme Medal in 2002^[7] and was a member of the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science.^[8]

Death

On 2 October 2012 Nicholas died after a brief battle with pancreatic cancer.^[9]

Notes and References

1. Yanai. Takeshi. Tew. David P. Handy. Nicholas C. A new hybrid exchange–correlation functional using the Coulomb-attenuating method (CAM-B3LYP). Chemical Physics Letters. 393. 1–3. 2004. 51–57. 0009-2614. 10.1016/j.cplett.2004.06.011. 2004CPL...393...51Y.
2. Web site: Handy - Deaths Announcements - Telegraph Announcements . https://web.archive.org/web/20140518180120/http://announcements.telegraph.co.uk/deaths/154843/handy . dead . 18 May 2014 . The Daily Telegraph . 7 October 2012.
3. Coulson . C. A. . 10.1098/rsbm.1973.0004 . Samuel Francis Boys 1911-1972 . . 19 . 94–115 . 1973 . S. Francis Boys . free .
4. Clary. David C.. David Clary. Knowles. Peter J.. Tozer. David J.. Nicholas Charles Handy 17 June 1941 – 2 October 2012. Biographical Memoirs of Fellows of the Royal Society. 61. 145–160. 2015. 0080-4606. 10.1098/rsbm.2015.0002. free.
5. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20100228014301/http://www.ch.cam.ac.uk/staff/nch.html. 28 February 2010. Professor Nicholas Handy. University of Cambridge.
6. The Journal of Chemical Physics. Energies and Expectation Values for Be by the Transcorrelated Method. Handy . Nicholas C.. 51 . 8. 3205–3212 . 1999 . 10.1063/1.1672496. 1969JChPh..51.3205H.
7. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20150321035351/https://royalsociety.org/awards/leverhulme-medal/. 21 March 2015. Leverhulme Medal. Royal Society. 23 November 2012.
8. Web site: https://web.archive.org/web/20140812205923/http://www.iaqms.org/deceased/handy.php. 12 August 2014. Nicholas Handy at the International Academy of Quantum Molecular Science page.
9. Web site: Nicholas Handy 1941–2012 . Buckingham . David . 28 August 2016 .