Obituary: Jeremy Burdett

Jeremy Burdett, Professor and Chairman of Chemistry and Professor in the James Franck Institute, died June 23 in Kalamazoo, Mich. Burdett, a Hyde Park resident, was 49.

Burdett was a highly regarded inorganic chemist who studied the electronic structure and properties of solids, including high-temperature superconductors. His work provided a fundamental understanding of the topological factors that determine the structure of crystals.

"Jeremy showed an extraordinary dedication to all facets of chemistry, discovering elegant new principles through research and teaching his subject to both specialists and non-specialists in lectures and books," said David Oxtoby, Dean of the Physical Sciences Division.

A London native, Burdett was a senior research officer at the University of Newcastle-On-Tyne before joining the Chicago faculty in 1978. From 1987 to 1991, he served as Master of the Physical Sciences Collegiate Division and as Associate Dean of the Physical Sciences Division and of the College. He had been Chairman of the Chemistry Department since 1992. In 1993 he received the Amoco Foundation Award for Distinguished Contributions to Undergraduate Teaching.

Recognition for his research included the Meldola Medal (1977) from the Royal Institute of Chemistry and the Tilden Medal (1995) from the Royal Society of Chemistry. He wrote more than 200 research publications and five books, including Chemical Bonding in Solids (1995).

He is survived by his wife, Ingrid Jackson; two sons, Rufus, of Denver, and Harry, of Detroit; his mother, Joan, of North Baddesley, England; and a brother, Nigel, of Marlborough, England.

Donations in his memory can be made to Magdalene College, Cambridge, or to the American Friends of Cambridge University.