Sir John Percival Vaissing (Vissing) Madsen

Sir John Percival Vissing Madsen FAA (24 March 1879 – 4 October 1969) was an Australian academic, physicist, engineer, mathematician and Army officer.

This history of Madsen's activities in Australian science and engineering covers the period 1900–1956 during which applications of electricity, X-ray analysis, standardised measurements for production, radio propagation, radar and radio astronomy, nuclear physics and digital computers made tremendous progress in part due to major advances in fundamental research & also the heightened activity due to two world wars. Central to these activities largely carried out at Sydney University, was the Electrical Engineering Department & the CSIRO National Standards Laboratory/ Radiophysics Laboratory (now The Madsen Building in the University grounds.

Madsen's roles encompassed the positions of Lecturer, Assistant Professor, Professor and Emeritus Professor from 1909 up to 1956 when he finally retired as Chairman of the Radio Research Board which he founded in 1927. Until 1946 Madsen was the first and only Professor of Electrical Engineering in any Australian University.

Early life Madsen was born at Lochinvar, in the Hunter Valley, New South Wales. Madsen attended Sydney High School and was Dux of the school. In 1909, Madsen's interest in the practical application of science led him to accept a lectureship in engineering at the University of Sydney, where he became assistant professor in 1912.