John Adams (physicist)

John Bertram Adams (1920 – 1984) was a British accelerator physicist and engineer. He is best known for his leadership in the design and construction of major particle accelerators at CERN (the European Organization for Nuclear Research).

Adams studied at St Paul's School, London, and subsequently at Trinity College, Cambridge, where he obtained a degree in mathematics and physics. During World War II, he worked on radar development at the Telecommunications Research Establishment.

After the war, Adams joined the Atomic Energy Research Establishment at Harwell. In 1953, he moved to CERN, where he became director of the Proton Synchrotron (PS) project. The PS, which began operation in 1959, was a groundbreaking accelerator and a major success for CERN.

From 1961 to 1966, Adams served as Director-General of CERN. During this period, he oversaw the construction of the Intersecting Storage Rings (ISR), the first hadron collider. Following his time at CERN, he returned to the United Kingdom and held several prominent positions, including Director of the Culham Laboratory (the UK's national fusion research laboratory) and Chairman of the Council of the European Space Research Organisation (ESRO).

In 1971, Adams returned to CERN for a second term as Director-General, this time jointly with Willibald Jentschke. During this period, he led the development and construction of the Super Proton Synchrotron (SPS), which was later used to discover the W and Z bosons, leading to a Nobel Prize in Physics for Carlo Rubbia and Simon van der Meer.

Adams was highly regarded for his technical expertise, leadership skills, and his ability to manage large and complex scientific projects. His contributions were essential to the success of CERN and the advancement of particle physics. He was a Fellow of the Royal Society.