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Paul Taunton Matthews
Born 19 November 1919 (1919-11-19)
Erode, British India (present-day Tamil Nadu, India)
Died 26 February 1987(1987-02-26) (aged 67)
Nationality British
Alma mater Clare College, Cambridge
Awards Order of the British Empire
Fellow of the Royal Society
Adams Prize (1958)
Rutherford Medal and Prize (1978)
Scientific career
Fields Theoretical Physics
Institutions Imperial College London
University of Bath
Science and Engineering Research Council
Doctoral advisor Nicholas Kemmer
Doctoral students Faheem Hussain
Christopher Isham
Ghulam Murtaza
Other notable students Abdus Salam
Stanley Mandelstam
John Stewart Bell
Daniel Afedzi Akyeampong
Notes
A close friend and mentor of the only Pakistani Nobel Prize holder, Dr. Abdus Salam, and of CERN physicist, Faheem Hussain.

Paul Taunton Matthews was a brilliant British scientist. He was a theoretical physicist, which means he used math and ideas to understand how the universe works, especially tiny particles. He was born on November 19, 1919, and passed away on February 26, 1987.

Life and Education

Paul Taunton Matthews was born in a place called Erode in British India. This area is now known as Tamil Nadu in India. When he was older, he went to school at Mill Hill School.

After that, he studied at Clare College, Cambridge, a famous university in England. There, he earned his MA and PhD degrees. These are advanced degrees that show he was an expert in his field.

Awards and Honors

Paul Matthews received many important awards for his work in physics.

  • In 1958, he won the Adams Prize. This award is given to scientists for excellent research in mathematics or physics.
  • In 1963, he became a Fellow of the Royal Society. This is a very special honor for top scientists in the United Kingdom.
  • In 1978, he was given the Rutherford Medal and Prize. This award recognizes outstanding research in nuclear physics.

He was also honored with the title of Commander of the Order of the British Empire (CBE). This is a high award given by the British King or Queen for important achievements.

Career Highlights

Paul Matthews held many important jobs during his career.

  • He became the head of the Physics Department at Imperial College, London. This meant he was in charge of all the physics studies and research there.
  • Later, he became the vice-chancellor of the University of Bath. The vice-chancellor is like the main leader of a university.
  • In 1983, the University of Bath also gave him an Honorary Degree (Doctor of Science). This was to recognize his great contributions to science.
  • He also led the Nuclear Physics Board of the Science Research Council. In this role, he helped guide important research into how atoms work.

Paul Matthews passed away in Cambridge after a cycling accident.

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