By Keith Powell, WSU Foundation
Roy Filby may have retired from Washington State University more than two decades ago, but at the WSU Nuclear Science Center that he helped shape, his calculations are still in use, and his impact is still being felt.
Filby’s studies and research spanned the globe. After earning a Bachelor of Science from the University of London in 1955 and an MS from McMaster in Canada in 1957, his research took him to Helsinki on a British scholarship, to Oslo on a Norwegian traveling fellowship, and to El Salvador for three years of teaching and research. In 1968, he arrived in Pullman. Three years later, he graduated with his PhD.
“We owe the strength and vitality of our modern nuclear science initiatives to Roy Filby’s foresight,” said Gary E. Douberly, professor and chair of WSU’s Department of Chemistry. “His relentless dedication to preserving and growing WSU’s reactor capabilities ensured these programs didn’t just survive, but thrive. Roy enabled the strategic focus on nuclear science we see across campus today, and his legacy continues to shape our university’s future.”
A radiochemist, Filby’s specialty was neutron activation analysis. Working with WSU’s reactor, Filby applied it to petroleum, measuring elements as scarce as gold, mercury, and uranium in crude oil. His work helped establish trace-element analysis in petroleum geochemistry. In 1971, he became associate director of the WSU Nuclear Science Center, and in 1975, director, a role he served in until 1988. Filby was elected a fellow of the American Association for the Advancement of Science and of the American Nuclear Society. He chaired WSU’s Department of Chemistry from 1988 to 1992, and in 1994, when the U.S. Transuranium and Uranium Registries moved its radiochemistry operations to WSU, he was appointed to direct them.
But Filby’s legacy isn’t limited to his research. A visiting professorship at the University of Port Harcourt in 1981 began a lasting connection with Nigeria. For the remainder of his career, Filby helped bring Nigerian students to Pullman to study—one of the quieter ways he nurtured a community of scientists.
“Roy was a good chair,” recalled Kerry Hipps, Regents Professor of Chemistry and Materials Science and Engineering at WSU, Filby’s colleague in the Department of Chemistry. “He stayed teaching even after he didn’t need to. He communicated decisions really well. He always wanted buy-in—or understanding. He was just a great colleague and chemist.”
Filby’s graduate students knew him as private, caring, and generous with his time. “Your advisor is like a second parent,” said one former doctoral student, who trained under Filby and went on to national leadership in the American Chemical Society. “They have an impact on your life—on the entire rest of your life.”
Many of Filby’s students went on to successful careers of their own, as professors, research scientists at universities and prestigious national laboratories, and leaders in local government organizations. Today, they carry forward his legacy in analytical, environmental, and nuclear chemistry by earning numerous patents, winning national awards, becoming leaders in the American Chemical Society, and pursuing entrepreneurship.
“Professor Filby shaped my life in ways that extend far beyond academics,” said Felib Iskander, PhD ’82 MS Chem. and ’83 PhD Chem. “His guidance was never limited to research or writing. He invested in people. He encouraged curiosity, integrity, and perseverance, and he modeled each of those qualities with quiet consistency. His belief in my work—and in my potential—gave me the confidence to pursue paths I might never have dared to take. I remain deeply grateful for the wisdom he shared and the example he set.”
After Filby died, a small cohort of his former students came together to honor him. They raised funds to create graduate fellowships in his memory, supporting students in analytical chemistry and radiochemistry in WSU’s Department of Chemistry.
Alumni and friends who would like to help celebrate Dr. Filby’s life and legacy are invited to contact Justin Smith, development officer for the College of Arts and Sciences, at jnsmith@wsu.edu or by visiting the link below.