Jeff Hughes was an historian of science based at the

University of Manchester The University of Manchester is a public university, public research university in Manchester, England. The main campus is south of Manchester city centre, Manchester City Centre on Wilmslow Road, Oxford Road. The University of Manchester is c ...

who researched physics, nuclear culture and scientific communities.

Early life

Jeffrey Alan Hughes was born in 1965 in Glanamman, Carmarthenshire.

Education

Hughes studied at Maesydderwen Comprehensive School in

Ystradgynlais Ystradgynlais (; ) is a town in southwest Powys, Wales. It is located on the River Tawe, and was within the boundaries of the former county of Brecknockshire. The town has a high proportion of Welsh language-speakers. The community includes C ...

before attending

Jesus College, Oxford Jesus College (in full: Jesus College in the University of Oxford of Queen Elizabeth's Foundation) is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. It is in the centre of the city, on a site between Turl Street, Ship ...

as a chemistry undergraduate. He then went to

Corpus Christi College, Cambridge Corpus Christi College (full name: "The College of Corpus Christi and the Blessed Virgin Mary", often shortened to "Corpus") is a Colleges of the University of Cambridge, constituent college of the University of Cambridge. From the late 14th c ...

as a postgraduate and moved into the study of

history of science The history of science covers the development of science from ancient history, ancient times to the present. It encompasses all three major branches of science: natural science, natural, social science, social, and formal science, formal. Pr ...

. He completed his PhD thesis, entitled ''Radioactivists: community, controversy and the rise of nuclear physics'' in 1993.

Career

Hughes was one of the first permanent members of staff at the Centre for the History of Science, Technology and Medicine at the

, where he began work in 1993. His research concerned the political implications of nuclear research and the interactions of scientists with government departments. He was awarded the

Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize ''This prize should not be confused with the Watson Davis Award'' from the Association for Information Science and Technology. The Watson, Helen, Miles, and Audrey Davis Prize (formerly the Watson Davis and Helen Miles Davis Prize) is awarded annual ...

by the

History of Science Society The History of Science Society (HSS), founded in 1924, is the primary professional society for the academic study of the history of science. The society has over 3,000 members worldwide. It publishes the quarterly journal ''Isis'' and the yearly ...

in 2004 for his book ''The Manhattan Project: Big Science and the Atom Bomb.'' Hughes was particularly well-known for his prominent role in history of science learned societies. He fostered links with the

Science Museum Group The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums: * The Science Museum in South Kensington, London * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester * The National Railway Museum in York * The Locomotion Museum (formerly the Na ...

. He was the secretary of the

British Society for the History of Science The British Society for the History of Science (BSHS) was founded in 1947 by Francis Butler, Joan Eyles and Victor Eyles. Overview It is Britain's largest learned society devoted to the history of science, technology, and medicine. The society' ...

and then became its president in 2008. He chaired the International Congress of History of Science, Technology and Medicine in 2013 and was a member of the

International Academy of the History of Science The International Academy of the History of Science () is a membership organization for historians of science. The Academy was founded on 17 August 1928 at the Congress of Historical Science by Aldo Mieli, Abel Rey, George Sarton, Henry E. Sig ...

Select bibliography

* 'A Portrait of the Physicist as a Young Ham: Wireless, Modernity and Interwar Nuclear Science' in ''Being Modern.'' * 'Mugwumps? The Royal Society and the Governance of Postwar Science' in ''Scientific Governance in Britain, 1914-79.'' * 'What is British nuclear culture? Understanding Uranium 235', ''British Journal for the History of Science''. * ''The Manhattan Project and the Birth of Big Science.'' * ''Radioactivists: community, controversy and the rise of nuclear physics.''

References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Hughes, Jeff British historians of science 1965 births 2018 deaths People from Glanamman 20th-century British historians Alumni of Jesus College, Oxford Alumni of Corpus Christi College, Cambridge