Russell Stannard, (24.5 December 1931 – 4 July 2022) was a British high-energy

particle physicist Particle physics or high-energy physics is the study of fundamental particles and fundamental interaction, forces that constitute matter and radiation. The field also studies combinations of elementary particles up to the scale of protons and ...

. Stannard was born in London, England. He was a professor of

physics Physics is the scientific study of matter, its Elementary particle, fundamental constituents, its motion and behavior through space and time, and the related entities of energy and force. "Physical science is that department of knowledge whi ...

at the

Open University The Open University (OU) is a Public university, public research university and the largest university in the United Kingdom by List of universities in the United Kingdom by enrolment, number of students. The majority of the OU's undergraduate ...

(later Professor

Emeritus ''Emeritus/Emerita'' () is an honorary title granted to someone who retires from a position of distinction, most commonly an academic faculty position, but is allowed to continue using the previous title, as in "professor emeritus". In some c ...

). In 1986, he was awarded the Templeton UK Project Award for "significant contributions to the field of spiritual values; in particular for contributions to greater understanding of science and religion". He was awarded the OBE for "contributions to physics, the Open University, and the popularisation of science" (1998) and the Bragg Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics for "distinguished contributions to the teaching of physics" (1999). He was admitted as a Fellow of University College London in 2000. Stannard was also a sculptor; two of his pieces were on display in the main quadrangle of the Open University site at

Milton Keynes Milton Keynes ( ) is a city status in the United Kingdom, city in Buckinghamshire, England, about north-west of London. At the 2021 Census, the population of Milton Keynes urban area, its urban area was 264,349. The River Great Ouse forms t ...

. In 2010, he helmed a series of ten short programmes collectively entitled "Boundaries of the knowable", dealing with subjects from both scientific and philosophical perspectives, ranging from the nature of

consciousness Consciousness, at its simplest, is awareness of a state or object, either internal to oneself or in one's external environment. However, its nature has led to millennia of analyses, explanations, and debate among philosophers, scientists, an ...

, the nature of

matter In classical physics and general chemistry, matter is any substance that has mass and takes up space by having volume. All everyday objects that can be touched are ultimately composed of atoms, which are made up of interacting subatomic pa ...

space Space is a three-dimensional continuum containing positions and directions. In classical physics, physical space is often conceived in three linear dimensions. Modern physicists usually consider it, with time, to be part of a boundless ...

and

time Time is the continuous progression of existence that occurs in an apparently irreversible process, irreversible succession from the past, through the present, and into the future. It is a component quantity of various measurements used to sequ ...

, the wave-particle duality of matter, the existence of extra-terrestrial life and infinite universes, whether our universe is eternal, and the question of "What caused the

Big Bang The Big Bang is a physical theory that describes how the universe expanded from an initial state of high density and temperature. Various cosmological models based on the Big Bang concept explain a broad range of phenomena, including th ...

?". Stannard died on 4 July 2022, at the age of 90.

Career

* Studied Physics at

University College London University College London (Trade name, branded as UCL) is a Public university, public research university in London, England. It is a Member institutions of the University of London, member institution of the Federal university, federal Uni ...

earning a B.Sc. (Special Physics) degree (1953); this was followed by a Ph.D. in cosmic ray physics (1956). * 1960–69 Lecturer, UCL * 1969–71 Reader,

* 1971–1997 Professor of Physics, Open University. * 1971–1992 Head of the Physics Department, Open University * 1974–1976 Pro-Vice Chancellor, Open University * 1987–1988 Visiting Fellow, Center of Theological Inquiry, Princeton, United States. * 1987–1991 Vice President of the

Institute of Physics The Institute of Physics (IOP) is a UK-based not-for-profit learned society and professional body that works to advance physics education, physics research, research and applied physics, application. It was founded in 1874 and has a worldwide ...

. * 1993–1999 Trustee of the

John Templeton Foundation The John Templeton Foundation (Templeton Foundation) is a Philanthropy, philanthropic organization founded by John Templeton in 1987. Templeton became wealthy as a Contrarian investing, contrarian investor, and wanted to support progress in relig ...

. * 1999–2022 Emeritus Professor of Physics, Open University.

Publications

Science and religion

* ''Science and the Renewal of Belief'' * ''Grounds for Reasonable Belief'' * ''Doing Away with God?'' * ''Science and Wonders'' * contributed chapters to ''Evidence of Purpose'', ''How Large is God?'', and ''Spiritual Evolution''. * ''The God Experiment'',

Faber and Faber Faber and Faber Limited, commonly known as Faber & Faber or simply Faber, is an independent publishing house in London. Published authors and poets include T. S. Eliot (an early Faber editor and director), W. H. Auden, C. S. Lewis, Margaret S ...

/HiddenSpring 1999 based on his Gifford Lectures * ''The End of Discovery'' * ''Science & Belief the Big Issues'' * ''The Divine Imprint''

Children's books

Stannard wrote eleven children's books, including: * the ''Uncle Albert'' trilogy (''The Time and Space of Uncle Albert'', ''Black Holes and Uncle Albert'', and ''Uncle Albert and the Quantum Quest'') * An update of

George Gamow George Gamow (sometimes Gammoff; born Georgiy Antonovich Gamov; ; 4 March 1904 – 19 August 1968) was a Soviet and American polymath, theoretical physicist and cosmologist. He was an early advocate and developer of Georges Lemaître's Big Ba ...

's '' Mr Tompkins'' * ''The Curious History of God'' * ''Our Physical Universe'' * ''Virtutopia''

Sources

Biography

External links

Gifford Lectures biography page on Russell Stannard
*

',

short series of video programmes
Russell Stannard Interview with Nigel Bovey
{{DEFAULTSORT:Stannard, Russell 1931 births 2022 deaths Academics of the Open University Academics of University College London Alumni of University College London British nuclear physicists English physicists Officers of the Order of the British Empire English Christians Writers about religion and science Writers from London