Sir Robert Lewis Fullarton Boyd (19 October 1922 – 5 February 2004) was a pioneer of British space science and founding director of the

Mullard Space Science Laboratory The UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory (MSSL) is the United Kingdom's largest university space research group. MSSL is part of the Department of Space and Climate Physics at University College London (UCL), one of the first universities in the ...

(part of

University College London , mottoeng = Let all come who by merit deserve the most reward , established = , type = Public research university , endowment = £143 million (2020) , budget = ...

). Robert Boyd was born in Saltcoats, Ayrshire - one of twin boys. He was a pupil at

Whitgift School ("He who perseveres, conquers") , established = , closed = , type = Independent school , religious_affiliation = Church of England , president = , head_label = Head Master , head = Christopher Ramsey , c ...

and studied at Imperial College ( BSc(Eng) 1943) and University College London ( PhD 1949; Fellow 1988). His scientific career started at the

Admiralty Mining Establishment The Admiralty Mining Establishment originally known as the Mine Design Department was a technical department of the British Royal Navy responsible for both the design of Naval_mine, naval mines and the development of suitable countermeasures f ...

in 1943 where he worked with some notable scientists, including

Harrie Massey Sir Harrie Stewart Wilson Massey (16 May 1908 – 27 November 1983) was an Australian mathematical physicist who worked primarily in the fields of atomic and atmospheric physics. A graduate of the University of Melbourne and Cambridge Unive ...

who would later encourage Boyd to engage in

atmospheric physics Within the atmospheric sciences, atmospheric physics is the application of physics to the study of the atmosphere. Atmospheric physicists attempt to model Earth's atmosphere and the atmospheres of the other planets using fluid flow equations, chem ...

research at UCL. His thesis was on ''New Techniques for the Study of Ionised Gases''. In addition to helping create the MSSL, Boyd played an instrumental role in the founding of the European Space Research Organization and its subsequent incarnation the European Space Agency (1974/75). Boyd succeeded Harrie Massey as the chair of the

British National Committee for Space Research The British National Committee for Space Research (BNCSR) was a Royal Society committee formed in December 1958. It was formed primarily to be Britain's interface with the newly formed Committee on Space Research (COSPAR). History In October ...

in 1976. He became a Fellow of the

Royal Society The Royal Society, formally The Royal Society of London for Improving Natural Knowledge, is a learned society and the United Kingdom's national academy of sciences. The society fulfils a number of roles: promoting science and its benefits, re ...

in 1969 and was knighted in 1983 in recognition of his services to space science. Boyd was a committed Christian and he saw no conflict but subtle complementarity between science and religion. His 1950s and 1960s writings and lectures on this relationship helped Christians to be more influential in science, through the Research Scientists' Christian Fellowship.

Career

* Experimental Officer at Admiralty Mining Establishment, 1943–46 * DSIR (UK) Research Assistant, 1946–49 * ICI Research Fellow, 1949–52 * Lecturer in Physics, UCL, 1952–58; Reader 1959-62 * Professor of Astronomy (part-time), Royal Institution, 1961–67 * Professor of Physics in the University of London, 1962–83, then

Emeritus Professor ''Emeritus'' (; female: ''emerita'') is an adjective used to designate a retired chair, professor, pastor, bishop, pope, director, president, prime minister, rabbi, emperor, or other person who has been "permitted to retain as an honorary title ...

* Director, Mullard Space Science Laboratory, 1965–83.

Other activities

* Council, Physical Society, 1958–60 * Council,

Royal Astronomical Society (Whatever shines should be observed) , predecessor = , successor = , formation = , founder = , extinction = , merger = , merged = , type = NG ...

, 1962-66 (vice-president, 1964–66) * President,

Victoria Institute The Victoria Institute, or Philosophical Society of Great Britain, was founded in 1865, as a response to the publication of ''On the Origin of Species'' and ''Essays and Reviews''. Its stated objective was to defend "the great truths revealed in ...

, 1965–76 * Governor: St Lawrence College, 1965–76 * Governor: Croydon College, 1966–80 * IEE Appleton Lecturer, 1976 * Bakerian Lecturer,

, 1978 * Halley Lecturer,

University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...

, 1981 * Chairman: Meteorology Research Committee and Astronautics Committee, Ministry of Defence, 1972–75 * Member: BBC Science Consultative Group, 1970–79 *

Science Research Council The Science and Engineering Research Council (SERC) and its predecessor the Science Research Council (SRC) were the UK agencies in charge of publicly funded scientific and engineering research activities, including astronomy, biotechnology and bi ...

, 1977-81 (chairman, Astronomy, Space and Radio Bd, 1977–80) * British National Committee on Space Research, 1976–87 * Governor: Southlands College, 1976–94 * Trustee,

National Maritime Museum The National Maritime Museum (NMM) is a maritime museum in Greenwich, London. It is part of Royal Museums Greenwich, a network of museums in the Maritime Greenwich World Heritage Site. Like other publicly funded national museums in the Unite ...

, 1980–89 * Chairman, London Bible College, 1983–90.

Honours

* Fellow of the

, 1969 *

CBE The Most Excellent Order of the British Empire is a British order of chivalry, rewarding contributions to the arts and sciences, work with charitable and welfare organisations, and public service outside the civil service. It was established o ...

, 1972 * Honorary DSc Heriot-Watt University, 1979 *

Knight A knight is a person granted an honorary title of knighthood by a head of state (including the Pope) or representative for service to the monarch, the church or the country, especially in a military capacity. Knighthood finds origins in the Gr ...

, 1983

References

* Who's Who 2004

External links

Obituary from ''Astronomy and Geophysics'' (June 2004)
{{DEFAULTSORT:Boyd, Robert 1922 births 2004 deaths Academics of UCL Mullard Space Science Laboratory Alumni of University College London Alumni of Imperial College London 20th-century British astronomers Fellows of the Royal Society Knights Bachelor People educated at Whitgift School Scottish evangelicals Space programme of the United Kingdom People from Saltcoats Admiralty personnel of World War II

Career

Other activities

Honours

See also

References

External links