William Nicholas Guy Hitchon (22 October 1957 – 23 July 2023), commonly known as Nick Hitchon, was a nuclear fusion scientist and professor at the University of Wisconsin.[1] [2]
Hitchon was born in Skipton, West Riding of Yorkshire (now North Yorkshire), the eldest of three sons to Iona (née Hall) and Guy Hitchon.[3] [4] He was educated at Ermysted's Grammar School from 1968 to 1975.[3] Later, he earned a bachelor's and master's degree in physics from Oxford University and a D.Phil. in engineering science from the same university.[3] [5]
Hitchon's personal life included two marriages, first to Jacqui Bush in 1979, which ended in divorce, and later to Cryss Brunner in 2001.[3]
In 1964, Hitchon was featured as a child in the Seven Up! documentary for ITV's World in Action series.[2] [3] His life was periodically revisited in subsequent episodes by director Michael Apted until 2019.[3] [6]
In 1982, Hitchon joined the University of Wisconsin, Madison, in the department of electrical and computer engineering.[3] [5] He became a professor in 1994 and served as the department chair from 1999 to 2002.[3] [5] In 2022, he took retirement.[7] During his tenure, he authored three books.[3]