[1] Boas was born in Adelaide in the then self-governing colony of South Australia and educated at the University of Adelaide.
He was later a lecturer at the University of Western Australia where he was awarded a Master of Science degree.
[2] Boas was as appointed to the Council for Scientific and Industrial Research in 1928.
[2] During World War 2, Boas was a member of the Department of Supply and Development.
[1] Isaac Herbert Boas was the son of rabbi Abraham Tobias Boas, and the brother of Western Australian political and sporting person Lionel Boas.