William Ronald Fawcett was born in Canada and educated at the University of Toronto where he obtained a B.Sc. in physics and chemistry in 1960. He continued his studies at Toronto carrying out research in the laboratory of Michael Dignam, and received a Ph.D. in physical chemistry in 1964. He then spent two years as NATO Post-Doctoral Fellow in the laboratory of Roger Parsons at the University of Bristol in England. In 1966 he joined the faculty of the Chemistry Department at the University of Guelph in Canada where he established a research program in interfacial electrochemistry with emphasis on non-aqueous electrolyte systems. In 1984 he moved to the University of California in Davis as Professor of Analytical Chemistry. His published research involves the physical chemistry of non-aqueous solutions, interfacial electrochemistry, and electrode kinetics.