Raymond N. Rogers became chief chemist at an oil refinery at age 15 when many positions were left open during the war. In 1945 he enlisted in the U.S Navy and served as a radar technician during World War II. The GI Bill allowed Ray to complete his education at the University of Arizona in chemistry. His expertise in thermal analysis brought him to the Los Alamos Scientific Laboratory in 1951. He was granted a sabbatical in 1968 to pursue post-graduate studies in archaeology. He became a group leader of an explosives research-and-development group there and was elected Laboratory Fellow in 1981. He later worked for the International Technology division, retiring in 1988. He served on the Department of the Air Force Scientific Advisory Board from 1987 until 1992 with the equivalent rank of Lt. General, receiving their Distinguished Service Award. He received other awards and recognitions from LANL and professional organizations. He has also published popular articles on firearms as well as papers on chemistry, archaeology/anthropology, soil science, and energy. He has served as an expert witness on several legal actions.

He was appointed Director of Chemical Research for the Shroud of Turin Research Project in 1978, applying thermal methods to the study of this relic. In recent years, he further researched material relevant to the dating of the Shroud, publishing his findings in Thermochimica Acta.

From: Shroud of Turin Website