Douglas Edward Lea (February 2, 1910 – June 16, 1947) was an experimental physicist working primarily in the field of radiobiology.
He started working at the Cavendish Laboratory at University of Cambridge from 1931 to 1935, and in time moved from nuclear physics to focus on biology.
[2][3] Lea published his influential book, The Actions of Radiation of Living Cells, in 1946, the year before he died in an accident.
[4][5][3] Lea was a major contributor to the target theory of cell death caused by ionising radiation.
In 1946, not long before his death, was appointed Reader in Radiobiology in the University Department of Radiotherapeutics A memorial lecture in his name has been given biennially since 1948.