Ken Pounds facts for kids

Kenneth Alwyne Pounds is a famous British physicist. He was born on November 17, 1934. He is now an Emeritus Professor at the University of Leicester. This means he is a retired professor who still keeps his title.

Meet Kenneth Pounds: Space Explorer

Early Life and Education

Kenneth Pounds was born in Bradford, Yorkshire. He went to Salt Grammar School there. Later, he studied at University College London. He earned his first degree, a BSc, and then his PhD in 1961.

Pioneering Space Research

In 1960, Ken Pounds started working at the University of Leicester. He became an Assistant Lecturer. By 1967, he was the Deputy Director of Space Research. He was one of the first people in the UK to use rockets and satellites for science.

Discovering Black Holes

In 1974, he became the first Director of the X-ray Astronomy group. His research focused on active galaxies. These are galaxies with very bright centers. One of his big discoveries was finding that black holes are very common throughout the universe.

Leading Science Organisations

Ken Pounds became a Professor of Space Physics in 1973. In 1986, he became the Head of the Physics Department. The next year, he helped combine the Physics and Astronomy departments. This created the Department of Physics and Astronomy we know today.

He also worked with important science groups. From 1980 to 1984, he was part of the Science and Engineering Research Council. He was also the President of the Royal Astronomical Society from 1990 to 1992. Later, he became the first Chief Executive of the Particle Physics and Astronomy Research Council. He returned to Leicester as Head of Department in 1998. He retired in 2002 but still works as a research fellow.

Awards and Special Honours

Ken Pounds has received many awards for his work. In 1981, he was chosen as a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very high honour for scientists in the UK. In 1984, he was made a CBE. This means he was appointed a Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

He also has five honorary doctorates. One special honour was an honorary degree from his own university, the University of Leicester, in 2005.

An Asteroid Named After Him

A cool fact is that an asteroid was named after him! The asteroid 4281 Pounds was discovered in 1985. It was officially named in his honour in 1990. His portrait, taken by photographer Max Alexander, is also in the National Portrait Gallery, London.