Death of Sir John Polkinghorne (1930-2021)

The Ian Ramsey Centre is sorry to report the death of Sir John Polkinghorne, a great supporter of the work of the Centre, who died 9 March 2021 at the age of 90.

Sir John was Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968, playing a role in the discovery of the quark, the smallest elementary particle of matter. He resigned his chair in 1979 to study for Anglican ministry. An elegant and prolific writer, he authored over 30 books, exploring in rigorous depth the relationship between the discoveries of modern physics and the doctrines of the Christian faith. He received the Templeton Prize in 2002 in recognition of his treatment of theology as a complement to natural science, which when viewed together offer what he called a “binocular” vision of the truth.

The IRC organised a conference in 2010 to celebrate Sir John's 80th birthday, at which he gave the plenary address.

Main picture by Jack1956, CC BY-SA 3.0, https://commons.wikimedia.org/w/index.php?curid=2950826