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Robyn Williams (born 30 January 1944) is a British/Australian science
journalist A journalist is an individual that collects/gathers information in form of text, audio, or pictures, processes them into a news-worthy form, and disseminates it to the public. The act or process mainly done by the journalist is called journalis ...
and broadcaster who has hosted ''The Science Show'' on ABC Radio National (RN) since 1975, and created ''Ockham's Razor'' in 1984.


Early life and education

Williams was born on 30 January 1944 in
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the Bristol Channel to the south. It had a population in ...
or
High Wycombe High Wycombe, often referred to as Wycombe ( ), is a market town in Buckinghamshire, England. Lying in the valley of the River Wye, Buckinghamshire, River Wye surrounded by the Chiltern Hills, it is west-northwest of Charing Cross in London, ...
, Buckinghamshire, England. His father, Gwyn, a Welshman, has been variously reported as a
union Union commonly refers to: * Trade union, an organization of workers * Union (set theory), in mathematics, a fundamental operation on sets Union may also refer to: Arts and entertainment Music * Union (band), an American rock group ** ''Un ...
executive and journalist, or a coalminer who also studied engineering. His mother, Ray (nee Davis), was Jewish, from
London London is the capital and List of urban areas in the United Kingdom, largest city of England and the United Kingdom, with a population of just under 9 million. It stands on the River Thames in south-east England at the head of a estuary dow ...
's East End, and worked as a translator. Williams attended various schools in London, including
Tooting Bec Tooting Bec is in the London Borough of Wandsworth, south London, England. History Tooting Bec appears in Domesday Book of 1086 as "Totinges". It was held partly by St Mary de Bec-Hellouin Abbey and partly by Westminster Abbey. Its domesday ass ...
Grammar, as well as spending a few years at a German language school in
Vienna en, Viennese , iso_code = AT-9 , registration_plate = W , postal_code_type = Postal code , postal_code = , timezone = CET , utc_offset = +1 , timezone_DST ...
, Austria. Williams first spent time in Australia in 1964 and worked as a temporary clerk at the Decimal Currency Board of Australia, among other jobs. He moved back to London with his Australian wife to study science. He graduated from the
University of London The University of London (UoL; abbreviated as Lond or more rarely Londin in post-nominals) is a federal public research university located in London, England, United Kingdom. The university was established by royal charter in 1836 as a degree ...
with a Bachelor of Science (Honours) degree. During this period he was active in university acting and was hired as an extra in
BBC #REDIRECT BBC #REDIRECT BBC Here i going to introduce about the best teacher of my life b BALAJI sir. He is the precious gift that I got befor 2yrs . How has helped and thought all the concept and made my success in the 10th board exam. ...
...
series ''
The Goodies The Goodies were a trio of British comedians: Tim Brooke-Taylor (17 July 1940–12 April 2020), Graeme Garden (b. 18 February 1943) and Bill Oddie (b. 7 July 1941). The trio created, wrote for and performed in their eponymous television com ...
'', '' Monty Python's Flying Circus'' and '' Doctor Who''.


Professional life

He joined the
Australian Broadcasting Corporation The Australian Broadcasting Corporation (ABC) is the national broadcaster of Australia. It is principally funded by direct grants from the Australian Government and is administered by a government-appointed board. The ABC is a publicly-own ...
(ABC) Science Unit in 1972 where, after several years in background production and interviewing for the ''Insight'' program, he hosted ''Innovations'' in early 1974, ''Investigations'' (2-hour format) from 6 November 1974. In 1975 he began hosting ''The Science Show'', a one-hour science-based radio interview show. At one time it was the most popular radio show on Radio 2 (Radio National's former name), and it is one of the longest-running radio shows in Australia and the world. ''Ockham's Razor'' followed in 1984, with Williams introducing a leading scientist or personality who then expounds from a prepared text on a topic of their choice, with a view to making a subject simple and accessible to the public, hence the title relating to the famous statement on parsimony by
William of Ockham William of Ockham, OFM (; also Occam, from la, Gulielmus Occamus; 1287 – 10 April 1347) was an English Franciscan friar, scholastic philosopher, apologist, and Catholic theologian, who is believed to have been born in Ockham, a small vil ...
. ''In Conversation'' commenced in 1997, with Williams interviewing the personality.


Other media work

* Narrating ''Nature of Australia'', a series for ABC TV * Appearing in ''World Safari'' with David Attenborough * Instigating the establishment of the Eureka Awards for Excellence in Science Communication and Innovation by the ABC and
Australian Museum The Australian Museum is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest museum in Australia,Design 5, 2016, p.1 and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the ...


Trade union activism

In 1977, Williams gave an impassioned speech to the ABC Staff Association against ABC management's quiescence in the face of budget cuts and political interference. He said that a UK proposal that the government appoint one third of BBC board members had been publicly opposed by BBC management but that the ABC chairman acted as if he headed an organisation rivalling the BBC. Following his speech the meeting voted unanimously that it had no confidence in the ABC chair, John Norgard.


Other roles

* Adjunct professor at the
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
* Visiting professor at the
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...
* Deputy Chair, Australian Science Media Centre, since 2012 * President, Australian Science Communicators, 1998–2001 * President, Australia and New Zealand Advancement of Science, 1992 * Chair, Australian Commission for the Future, 1990–1994 * President of the
Australian Museum The Australian Museum is a heritage-listed museum at 1 William Street, Sydney central business district, New South Wales, Australia. It is the oldest museum in Australia,Design 5, 2016, p.1 and the fifth oldest natural history museum in the ...
Trust, 1986–1994 * Chairman of the Commission For The Future * President of Australian Science Communicators * President of the Australian & New Zealand Association for the Advancement of Science (ANZAAS) Congress in
Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Queensland, and the third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of approximately 2.6 million. Brisbane lies at the centre of the South ...
* Co-Chairman of the Biology Department at the
University of Texas, El Paso The University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP) is a public research university in El Paso, Texas. It is a member of the University of Texas System. UTEP is the second-largest university in the United States to have a majority Mexican American stude ...
* Member of the council of
Voiceless, the animal protection institute Voiceless is an independent, non-profit animal protection charity based in Sydney, Australia. According to its mission statement, Voiceless's vision is for a world in which animals are treated with respect and compassion. Voiceless was founde ...
, 2009–?


Honours, awards and recognition


Australian honours

* 1988: Honorary Member of the
Order of Australia The Order of Australia is an honour that recognises Australian citizens and other persons for outstanding achievement and service. It was established on 14 February 1975 by Elizabeth II, Queen of Australia, on the advice of the Australian Gov ...
(AM), 26 January, "For service to science, particularly in the fields of media and education" *2001: Centenary Medal, 1 January, "For outstanding service in science communication" *2020: Honorary Officer of the Order of Australia (AO), 26 January, "For distinguished service to science as a journalist, radio presenter and author, and to education"


Academic honours

Williams has
honorary doctorate An honorary degree is an academic degree for which a university (or other degree-awarding institution) has waived all of the usual requirements. It is also known by the Latin phrases ''honoris causa'' ("for the sake of the honour") or ''ad hon ...
s from seven universities: *
Australian National University The Australian National University (ANU) is a public research university located in Canberra, the capital of Australia. Its main campus in Acton encompasses seven teaching and research colleges, in addition to several national academies an ...
(law) *
Deakin University Deakin University is a public university in Victoria, Australia. Founded in 1974, the university was named after Alfred Deakin, the second Prime Minister of Australia. Its main campuses are in Melbourne's Burwood suburb, Geelong Waurn Ponds, ...
(science, 1988) *
University of New South Wales The University of New South Wales (UNSW), also known as UNSW Sydney, is a public research university based in Sydney, New South Wales, Australia. It is one of the founding members of Group of Eight, a coalition of Australian research-intensiv ...
*
University of Queensland , mottoeng = By means of knowledge and hard work , established = , endowment = A$224.3 million , budget = A$2.1 billion , type = Public research university , chancellor = Peter Varghese , vice_chancellor = Deborah Terry , city = B ...
*
University of South Australia The University of South Australia (UniSA) is a public research university in the Australian state of South Australia. It is a founding member of the Australian Technology Network of universities, and is the largest university in South Australi ...
*
University of Sydney The University of Sydney (USYD), also known as Sydney University, or informally Sydney Uni, is a public research university located in Sydney, Australia. Founded in 1850, it is the oldest university in Australia and is one of the country's ...
(science, 1988) * Macquarie University (science, 1988) He was a Reuters Fellow at the
University of Oxford , mottoeng = The Lord is my light , established = , endowment = £6.1 billion (including colleges) (2019) , budget = £2.145 billion (2019–20) , chancellor ...
in 1994 (where he wrote his autobiography), and a visiting fellow at
Balliol College Balliol College () is one of the constituent colleges of the University of Oxford in England. One of Oxford's oldest colleges, it was founded around 1263 by John I de Balliol, a landowner from Barnard Castle in County Durham, who provided the ...
in 1995–6.


Other recognition

*
Fellow of the Australian Academy of Science The Fellowship of the Australian Academy of Science is made up of about 500 Australian scientists. Scientists judged by their peers to have made an exceptional contribution to knowledge in their field may be elected to Fellowship of the Academy ...
, the first journalist so honoured, in 1993 * Proclaimed a Living National Treasures (1987) * Australian Rostrum Speaker of the Year (1993) * Australian Humanist of the Year (1993); awarded by the
Council of Australian Humanist Societies The Council of Australian Humanist Societies (CAHS) is an umbrella organisation for Australian humanist societies. It was founded in 1965. It is affiliated with Humanists International. The official symbol of CAHS (and all member organisations ...
* Radio Prize from the
Human Rights Commission A human rights commission, also known as a human relations commission, is a body set up to investigate, promote or protect human rights. The term may refer to international, national or subnational bodies set up for this purpose, such as nationa ...
* United Nations Association of Australia Media Peace Prize * Michael Daley Award for Science Journalism * Centre for Australian Cultural Studies National Award 1996 (Individual)


Publications

As well as many articles and introductions to books, Williams has written at least 10 books, including: *''The Uncertainty Principle'' (1991, nonfiction) * ''And Now For Something Completely Different'' (1995), autobiography, written when he was a Reuters Fellow at Oxford. The title refers to a popular radio interview he did with John Cleese on the topic of
psychiatry Psychiatry is the specialty (medicine), medical specialty devoted to the diagnosis, prevention, and treatment of mental disorders. These include various maladaptations related to mood, behaviour, cognition, and perceptions. See glossary of psych ...
. * ''This Is the Science Show ''(1995, nonfiction) *''Normal Service Won't Be Resumed: The Future of Public Broadcasting'' (1996, nonfiction) *''Future Perfect'' (2007, nonfiction), about "the future of just about everything" *''2007'' (published 2001) is a
dystopian novel Utopian and dystopian fiction are genres of speculative fiction that explore social and political structures. Utopian fiction portrays a setting that agrees with the author's ethos, having various attributes of another reality intended to appeal to ...
describing a rebellion of animals.


Personal life

Williams met Pamela Traylor when in Australia for the first time, and they married on June 10, 1966 before both moving back to the UK, where he studied science. They had two children. He is a good friend of fellow ABC presenter, Norman Swan, a qualified medical doctor, who intervened to help save his life when he suffered a
cardiac arrest Cardiac arrest is when the heart suddenly and unexpectedly stops beating. It is a medical emergency that, without immediate medical intervention, will result in sudden cardiac death within minutes. Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) and poss ...
in 1988. Williams is in a long-term relationship with Jonica Newby, a former presenter on ABC Television's ''
Catalyst Catalysis () is the process of increasing the rate of a chemical reaction by adding a substance known as a catalyst (). Catalysts are not consumed in the reaction and remain unchanged after it. If the reaction is rapid and the catalyst recyc ...
'' science journalism program. Williams underwent
chemotherapy Chemotherapy (often abbreviated to chemo and sometimes CTX or CTx) is a type of cancer treatment that uses one or more anti-cancer drugs ( chemotherapeutic agents or alkylating agents) as part of a standardized chemotherapy regimen. Chemothe ...
for colorectal cancer in 2014 and 2015; at one point he was hospitalised for five weeks but continued to make ''The Science Show'' from his hospital bed.


Footnotes


References


External links


Robyn Williams, Full Biography

ABC Science Unit


{{DEFAULTSORT:Williams, Robyn 1944 births Living people Alumni of the University of London English male journalists English humanists English people of Welsh descent English expatriates in Australia Honorary Officers of the Order of Australia Honorary Members of the Order of Australia Fellows of the Australian Academy of Science Australian humanists ABC radio (Australia) journalists and presenters