Which London institution was Faraday closely associated with for most of his scientific career?

Michael Faraday was closely associated with London’s Royal Institution for most of his scientific career. The institution became his laboratory, workplace and public stage, and many of his most important discoveries were made there.

Faraday joined the Royal Institution in 1813 as a chemical assistant to Humphry Davy. He later became superintendent of the House, director of the laboratory in 1825 and, in 1833, the first Fullerian Professor of Chemistry. That professorship was a lifetime appointment, reflecting how central Faraday had become to the institution.

At the Royal Institution he investigated electricity, magnetism, electrochemistry, optical glass and the properties of materials. His 1831 work on electromagnetic induction laid foundations for generators and transformers. He also became a celebrated lecturer, helping establish the institution’s Christmas Lectures and Friday Evening Discourses as important public science events.

The Royal Institution should not be confused with the Royal Society, where Faraday was elected a Fellow in 1824. The Royal Society was Britain’s learned academy; the Royal Institution was the laboratory and lecture institution where Faraday worked for decades.