Portrait of Paul O'Brien
Date
2023
Sitter
Paul O'Brien (1954 - 2018) , Materials scientist
Creator
Joshua Waterhouse (1989, British) , Artist
Object type
Archive reference number
Material
Dimensions
height (painting): 900mm
width (painting): 945mm
depth (panel): 12mm
width (painting): 945mm
depth (panel): 12mm
Subject
Description
Half-length portrait of Paul O’Brien seated in an office and looking out to viewer. He is writing the equation En = n2h2 /8mL2 in a book, referring to the energy levels of an electron confined to a one-dimensional box. He is wearing a dark suit with a tie showing the periodic table which he wore during his extensive outreach activities. He is also wearing his Fellow of the Royal Society pin badge on this right lapel.
Posthumously painted form a photograph and set in an imaginary office representing O’Brien’s five different workspaces. The portrait is staged with significant objects relating to O’Brien’s life and work including: -
Background (right as viewed)
An Ordinance Survey map of the Peak District representing his keen interest in hillwalking and the great outdoors.
A volume of Robert Frost’s Selected poems from his large collection of poetry.
A Moorcroft vase, an avid collector of ceramics.
Nelson Mandela’s A long walk to freedom, symbolising his commitment to post-democratisation in South Africa and his work in Africa generally.
Bill Bryson’s A short history of almost everything. O’Brien and Bryson were both elected Fellows of the Royal Society in 2013.
Background (left as viewed)
A book on Entrepreneurship by Graham Richards FRS, a reference to O’Brien’s great success with his company Nanoco Technologies.
A moleskin notebook and books written or edited by O’Brien.
His PhD thesis on Catalysis of the racemization of amino acids 1978, next to that of his wife’s, Kym O’Brien.
Image of the golden ratio along with a shell. O’Brien started his career as a bioinorganic chemist and was always fascinated by biological systems.
Foreground
3D model of Cadmium Selenide (CdSe), a semiconductor used in quantum dots, made by David Collison.
Origami representing molecular structure.
Vials and a flask containing quantum dots (normally only visible under UV light).
Postcard drawn by Beatrix Potter for her uncle, Henry Roscoe FRS. O’Brien always used postcards to make notes.
Paul O’Brien (1954-2018), British inorganic materials scientist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013.
Portrait of Paul O'Brien.
Posthumously painted form a photograph and set in an imaginary office representing O’Brien’s five different workspaces. The portrait is staged with significant objects relating to O’Brien’s life and work including: -
Background (right as viewed)
An Ordinance Survey map of the Peak District representing his keen interest in hillwalking and the great outdoors.
A volume of Robert Frost’s Selected poems from his large collection of poetry.
A Moorcroft vase, an avid collector of ceramics.
Nelson Mandela’s A long walk to freedom, symbolising his commitment to post-democratisation in South Africa and his work in Africa generally.
Bill Bryson’s A short history of almost everything. O’Brien and Bryson were both elected Fellows of the Royal Society in 2013.
Background (left as viewed)
A book on Entrepreneurship by Graham Richards FRS, a reference to O’Brien’s great success with his company Nanoco Technologies.
A moleskin notebook and books written or edited by O’Brien.
His PhD thesis on Catalysis of the racemization of amino acids 1978, next to that of his wife’s, Kym O’Brien.
Image of the golden ratio along with a shell. O’Brien started his career as a bioinorganic chemist and was always fascinated by biological systems.
Foreground
3D model of Cadmium Selenide (CdSe), a semiconductor used in quantum dots, made by David Collison.
Origami representing molecular structure.
Vials and a flask containing quantum dots (normally only visible under UV light).
Postcard drawn by Beatrix Potter for her uncle, Henry Roscoe FRS. O’Brien always used postcards to make notes.
Paul O’Brien (1954-2018), British inorganic materials scientist, was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society in 2013.
Portrait of Paul O'Brien.
Object history
Commissioned as part of the Paul O’Brien Award under the Royal Society Rising Star Africa Prize programme and donated to the Royal Society in 2023.