James Beckerley

James Gwavas Beckerley II (February 27, 1915 – April 18, 2006) was an American nuclear physicist. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts and a PhD in physics from Stanford University. He taught at Columbia University and Judson College in Burma. He became the director of classification of the United States Atomic Energy Commission in 1949, though resigned in 1954 due to his disagreement about security measures he thought were excessive. He served as editor of several journals, including the Annual Review of Nuclear Science and Nuclear Fusion. Beckerley was also the main editor of the book series The Geneva Series on the Peaceful Uses of Atomic Energy.

Early life and career James Gwavas Beckerley was born in Chicago on February 27, 1915. His parents were Clara Ungewitter and Gwavas Foster Beckerley. He had an older brother, William Beckerley. In 1935, he received his A.B. degree from Stanford University. In 1945, he graduated from Stanford with a PhD in physics.

He was the first editor of the peer-reviewed journal the Annual Review of Nuclear Science. He held the position for six years from 1952 to 1958, at which time he was succeeded by Emilio Segrè. He was associated with the International Atomic Energy Agency from 1959–1962. During this time, he created and was the first editor of the journal Nuclear Fusion. By 1969, he was the president of a company called Radioptrics, Inc. He also worked as a consultant for NASA on its planetology subcommittee. In the 1970s, he worked at the US Nuclear Regulatory Commission where he helped develop heavy water for use in nuclear reactors.