Fellows Directory
Martin Rees
The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM Kt HonFREng FRS
Fellow
Elected:
1979
Biography
Martin Rees is a leading astrophysicist as well as a senior figure in UK science. He has conducted influential theoretical work on subjects as diverse as black hole formation and extragalactic radio sources, and provided key evidence to contradict the Steady State theory of the evolution of the Universe.
Martin was also one of the first to predict the uneven distribution of matter in the Universe, and proposed observational tests to determine the clustering of stars and galaxies. Much of his most valuable research has focused on the end of the so-called cosmic dark ages — a period shortly after the Big Bang when the Universe was as yet without light sources.
As Astronomer Royal and a Past President of the Royal Society, Martin is a prominent scientific spokesperson and the author of seven books of popular science. After receiving a knighthood in 1992 for his services to science, he was elevated to the title of Baron Rees of Ludlow in 2005.
Interests and expertise
Subject groups
Awards
-
On 'Galaxies and their nuclei'.
-
Balzan Prize
For high energy astrophysics.
-
Blackett and Jagdish Chandra Bose Memorial Lectures
On 'Our final century- will civilisation survive?'.
-
Crafoord Prize
In the field of astronomy for understanding the large-scale structure of the Universe.
-
On 'Einstein's legacy as a scientist and icon'.
-
Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture
On 'Einstein's legacy as a scientist and icon'.
-
-
UK-Canada Rutherford Lecture
On 'The mystery of gamma-ray bursts'.