Born in Westmeath, Ontario, Canada, he received a Bachelor of Science in 1949 and a Master of Science in 1950 from Queen's University. He received a M.S. and a Ph.D. degree in nuclear physics in 1952 from the University of Rochester in the United States. From 1952 to 1953, he was an instructor, and from 1953 to 1954 he was an assistant professor at the University of Rochester. In 1955, he was hired as an associate research officer, Atomic Energy of Canada Ltd., and from 1958 to 1960 he was a senior research officer and section head.