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Professor Dan Eley (born 1914) is an English chemist. During the 1930s he studied at Manchester University before going on to do a PhD and lecture at Cambridge University between 1938 and 1945. During World War II, which coincided with his time at Cambridge, Professor Eley conducted research for the Ministry of Supply, investigating explosives problems, and served in the Home Guard.

Following the war he began lecturing at Bristol University, and was later promoted to Reader. In 1954 he was offered the appointment of Professor of Physical Chemistry at the University of Nottingham, and he has lived there with his family since.

Professor Eley worked across the three main branches of chemistry during his career: physical, organic and inorganic. He worked with Sir Eric Rideal studying catalysts, especially the industrially-important reaction between hydrogen compounds containing carbon-carbon double bonds. These experiments led to the discovery of the mechanism for this reaction - the Eley-Rideal reaction.

He also conducted work on DNA demonstrating that molecules of DNA can conduct electricity, important for understanding how DNA can be damaged. During this time he also tutored Rosalind Franklin, later known as the 'dark lady of DNA'.

On 29 October 2014 the University of Nottingham hosted an event to mark Professor Eley's centenary, in which he was also presented with a certificate marking the 50th anniversary of his election to the Royal Society and a Royal Society of Chemistry blue plaque.