Sever Sternhell

Sternhell was born in Lwow, then in Poland but now in western Ukraine. His father was Samson Sternhell, a lawyer. Before the war he attended a Zionist Hebrew language primary school for five years. Having survived the Bergen-Belsen concentration camp, he emigrated to Australia with his parents to join members of the Sternhell family who had left Europe prior to World War II. Arriving in Sydney in February 1947, he enrolled as a boarder at Newington College a few days after the commencement of the first term.[2] Having had no formal education since primary school, and only learnt English recently in Palestine, he spent the next nine months studying for the Leaving Certificate. He sat for his exams and received fours As and a B in English. Following Newington he attended the University of Sydney and graduated with a BSc (hons) in 1951 and a MSc in 1953.[3] In 1961 he was awarded a PhD and DIC from the University of London. After further study in London he received a DSc from Imperial College.

He began his career as a research chemist in private industry with Monsanto in 1953. Two years later he was appointed a senior research officer at CSIRO and remained in that position until 1964. Sternhell was a senior lecturer in the Department of Organic Chemistry at the University of Sydney, from 1964 until 1967. He spent a further ten years as a reader in organic chemistry at the University of Sydney before being appointed Professor of Organic Chemistry. He has been an Emeritus Professor since 1999. In 1991–92 he was chairman of the Australian Research Council Chemical Sciences Panel.[4]

Sternhell is a Fellow, of the Australian Academy of Science and of the Royal Australian Chemical Institute. In 2001, he was awarded the Centenary Medal for his service to Australian society and science in organic chemistry and molecular engineering.[5] In June 2018 he was made an Officer of the Order of Australia "for distinguished service to education in the field of organic chemistry, specifically to nuclear magnetic resonance, as an academic and researcher, and to scientific institutions."[6]