| Ray Flannery | |
| Birth Date: | January 8, 1941 |
| Birth Place: | Claudy, County Londonderry |
| Death Date: | May 2, 2013 |
| Death Place: | Atlanta, Georgia |
| Education: | St Columb's College Queen's University of Belfast |
| Known For: | work in atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO) |
| Notable Works: | published over 160 papers in that area, 66 as sole author |
| Awards: | Purser Postgraduate Prize (1961) Will Allis Prize(1998) |
Martin Raymond (Ray) Flannery (January 8, 1941, in Claudy, County Londonderry – May 2, 2013, in Atlanta, Georgia)[1] was Regents’ Professor Emeritus in theoretical physics at Georgia Tech.[2] He was known for his work in atomic, molecular, and optical physics (AMO), and published over 160 papers in that area, 66 as sole author.[3]
From 1952 to 1958 Flannery attended St Columb's College in Derry. In 1958 he entered Queen's University of Belfast (QUB), getting a B.Sc. in mathematics in 1961, and then a Ph.D. in 1964 under advisors Alan L. Stewart and Uno (Uuno) Öpik.[4] His thesis was in two parts: Some properties of three-electron atomic systems abd and Photoionization of molecular hydrogen.[2]
His early academic career included faculty positions at Queen's University Belfast (1964–66), University of Innsbruck (1966), Georgia Institute of Technology (1967–68), and Harvard University (1968–71). At Georgia Tech, he rose through the ranks from Associate Professor (1971) to Professor (1974) and Regents' Professor (1993),[3] formally retiring in 2007. He also held the following positions:
In 2012 the school of mathematics and physics at QUB established the Raymond Flannery Prize "to be awarded annually to the graduate in the School of Mathematics and Physics with the best overall mark".[6]