Born and raised near Kingston, Nathan Fellowes Dupuis (1836-1917) had little formal schooling when he was growing up. However, he showed such an aptitude for mechanics and math that he was apprenticed to a clockmaker at the age of fourteen. Following this he completed his secondary education and entered Queen's in 1863. Later that year he was appointed observor in Queen's observatory. After obtaining his degree in 1866 he remained at Queen's as librarian, then becoming an instructor in chemistry and natural history. In 1880 he was appointed professor of math and chemistry. He was one of the founders of the Faculty of Applied Science and became its first dean in 1894. Dupuis held this position until his retirement in 1911.