Education
Born in Christchurch and bought up in Westport, McLellan attended Nelson College and then the University of Otago, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science and an Master of Science in mathematics and science.
mathematician physicist president
Born in Christchurch and bought up in Westport, McLellan attended Nelson College and then the University of Otago, from where he graduated with a Bachelor of Science and an Master of Science in mathematics and science.
He joined the Department of Scientific and Industrial Research doing war work and after the war went to Edinburgh to do a Doctor of Philosophy under Max Born. His thesis was entitled The radial distribution function and its application to the properties of fluids. McLellan returned to the University of Otago and the University of Canterbury where he rose in the ranks of university administration in parallel with his research, becoming head of department in 1955, foundation chair of the new University Grants Committee.
He was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1961 and Nuffield Foundation Commonwealth Bursary.
He served as president of the Canterbury Branch of the Royal Society of New Zealand. He retired in 1985.