Martin Rees facts for kids

Quick facts for kids The Right Honourable The Lord Rees of Ludlow OM FRS FMedSci FRAS HonFInstP
Official portrait, 2019
60th President of the Royal Society
In office 2005–2010
Preceded by	The Lord May of Oxford
Succeeded by	Paul Nurse
78th President of the Royal Astronomical Society
In office 1992–1994
Preceded by	Ken Pounds
Succeeded by	Carole Jordan
39th Master of Trinity College, Cambridge
In office 2004–2012
Preceded by	Amartya Sen
Succeeded by	Sir Gregory Winter
Member of the House of Lords Lord Temporal
Incumbent
Assumed office 6 September 2005 Life Peerage
Personal details
Born	(1942-06-23) 23 June 1942 (age 83) York, England
Political party	None (crossbencher)
Spouses	Dame Caroline Humphrey, Lady Rees ​ (m. 1986)​
Education	Shrewsbury School
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge (BA, PhD)
Known for	Rees–Sciama effect 21-cm cosmology Coining particle chauvinism
Awards	Dannie Heineman Prize for Astrophysics (1984) Gold Medal of the Royal Astronomical Society (1987) Balzan Prize (1989) Bower Award (1998) Gruber Prize in Cosmology (2001) Albert Einstein World Award of Science (2003) Michael Faraday Prize (2004) Crafoord Prize (2005) Order of Merit (2007) Templeton Prize (2011) Isaac Newton Medal (2012) Dalton Medal (2012) HonFREng (2007) Nierenberg Prize (2015) Fritz Zwicky Prize (2020) Copley Medal (2023) Wolf Prize in Physics (2024)
Scientific career
Fields	Astronomy Astrophysics
Institutions	University of Cambridge University of Sussex
Thesis	Physical processes in radio sources and inter-galactic medium (1967)
Doctoral advisor	Dennis Sciama
Doctoral students	Roger Blandford Craig Hogan Priyamvada Natarajan James E. Pringle Nick Kaiser

Martin John Rees, Baron Rees of Ludlow, born on June 23, 1942, is a famous British scientist. He studies the universe, focusing on how it began and how it works. This field is called cosmology and astrophysics. He has held many important positions, including being the Astronomer Royal since 1995. He was also the head of Trinity College, Cambridge, and the President of the Royal Society, a very old and respected scientific group.

Early Life and Learning

Martin Rees was born in York, England. His parents were teachers. They started a boarding school called Bedstone College. Martin went to this school and later to Shrewsbury School.

He then went to Trinity College, Cambridge, to study mathematics. After that, he earned his PhD in 1967. His studies happened during an exciting time for space science. Scientists were learning new things about the Big Bang, neutron stars, and black holes.

A Career in Science

After finishing his studies, Martin Rees worked at different universities. He became a professor at the University of Sussex and later at the University of Cambridge. At Cambridge, he led the Institute of Astronomy.

He became a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1979. This is a big honor for scientists. From 2004 to 2012, he was the Master of Trinity College, Cambridge. This means he was in charge of the college.

Important Roles and Groups

Martin Rees has been part of many important groups. He helped start the Centre for the Study of Existential Risk. This group looks at big dangers that could affect humanity, like advanced technology. He also served on the board of the British Museum and the Science Museum.

He has guided many students who went on to become successful scientists themselves.

Exploring the Universe

Martin Rees has written over 500 scientific papers. He also writes books and gives talks for everyone, not just scientists. His work helps people understand space and science better.

Discoveries and Ideas

He has studied how the cosmic microwave background radiation formed. This is like an echo from the Big Bang. He also looked at how galaxies group together.

He was one of the first to suggest that huge black holes power quasars. Quasars are very bright objects far away in space. He also worked on gamma-ray bursts, which are powerful explosions in space.

Since the 1970s, he has been interested in the idea of a multiverse. This is the idea that our universe might be just one of many universes.

Thinking About the Future

Martin Rees often talks and writes about the challenges facing humanity in the 21st century. He thinks about how science, ethics, and politics connect.

In his books, he warns about existential risks. These are big dangers that could threaten human survival. He talks about new technologies like bioengineering and artificial intelligence. He believes these technologies could be very helpful but also risky if not managed carefully.

He has given talks, including the Reith Lectures for the BBC and two TED talks. He believes it's important to search for life beyond Earth. He chaired the advisory board for the "Breakthrough Listen" project, which searches for signals from space.

Public Service and Initiatives

In 2005, he became a life peer in the House of Lords. This means he is a member of the UK Parliament, but he doesn't belong to a political party. He uses his position to talk about science and technology.

He helped start the "Longitude Prize 2014." This prize offers money to solve big problems. One prize focused on reducing the misuse of antibiotics. Another prize, announced in 2022, focuses on helping people with dementia.

In 2015, he helped write a report for the Global Apollo Programme. This program encourages countries to invest in making clean energy cheaper than fossil fuels.

Awards and Honors

Martin Rees has received many awards for his work. He was president of the Royal Astronomical Society and the British Science Association. Many universities around the world have given him honorary degrees.

In 2005, he became President of the Royal Society, serving until 2010. In 2007, he received the Order of Merit, a special honor given by the Queen. He also received the Templeton Prize in 2011 and the Wolf Prize in Physics in 2024.

An Asteroid named 4587 Rees is named after him. There is also a scholarship at Shrewsbury International School in his honor. In June 2022, the BBC program The Sky at Night featured him in a conversation about his life and work.

Personal Life

Martin Rees is married to Caroline Humphrey, an anthropologist. He supports the Labour Party but sits as an independent member in the House of Lords.

See also

In Spanish: Martin Rees para niños

• Particle chauvinism