George W Series received his education at Oxford University. After serving in World War II, he returned to Oxford for a short appointment before becoming a Chair at Reading University where he spent the remainder of his career. 

His early research was on optical spectroscopy of simple atoms, notably hydrogen. He wrote a book, The Spectrum of Atomic Hydrogen, in 1957, and edited The Spectrum of Atomic Hydrogen: Advances in 1988. Series gained international attention, though, when he extended Alfred Kastler’s application of applying radio-frequency techniques to atoms . This led series to produce what is now known as quantum beats.

He edited two journals and was a member of several editorial boards. He chaired and served on Research Council and Institute of Physics committees. He was a Fellow of the Former Physical Society and The Optical Society and a founder member of the European Group for Atomic Spectroscopy. He was elected to the Royal Society in 1971, and received the William F. Meggers Award and Medal of the Optical Society of America in 1982.

Series passed away in 1995.