Roger Highfield
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Roger Ronald Highfield (born 1958 in
Griffithstown Griffithstown is a large suburb of Pontypool in the borough of Torfaen, Wales, within the historic boundaries of Monmouthshire. It is an ecclesiastical parish, formed in May 1898, from Llanfrechfa Upper and Panteg, and includes Sebastopol, but, ...
,
Wales Wales ( cy, Cymru ) is a Countries of the United Kingdom, country that is part of the United Kingdom. It is bordered by England to the Wales–England border, east, the Irish Sea to the north and west, the Celtic Sea to the south west and the ...
) is an author,
science journalist Science journalism conveys reporting about science to the public. The field typically involves interactions between scientists, journalists, and the public. Origins Modern science journalism dates back to '' Digdarshan'' (means showing the d ...
, broadcaster and Science Director at the
Science Museum Group The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums: * The Science Museum in South Kensington, London * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester * The National Railway Museum in York * The Locomotion Museum (formerly the Natio ...
.


Education

Highfield was educated at Chase Side Primary School in
Enfield Enfield may refer to: Places Australia * Enfield, New South Wales * Enfield, South Australia ** Electoral district of Enfield, a state electoral district in South Australia, corresponding to the suburb ** Enfield High School (South Australia) ...
and
Christ's Hospital Christ's Hospital is a public school (English independent boarding school for pupils aged 11–18) with a royal charter located to the south of Horsham in West Sussex. The school was founded in 1552 and received its first royal charter in 1553 ...
in
Horsham Horsham is a market town on the upper reaches of the River Arun on the fringe of the Weald in West Sussex, England. The town is south south-west of London, north-west of Brighton and north-east of the county town of Chichester. Nearby to ...
. He read
Chemistry Chemistry is the science, scientific study of the properties and behavior of matter. It is a natural science that covers the Chemical element, elements that make up matter to the chemical compound, compounds made of atoms, molecules and ions ...
at
Pembroke College, Oxford Pembroke College, a constituent college of the University of Oxford, is located at Pembroke Square, Oxford. The college was founded in 1624 by King James I of England, using in part the endowment of merchant Thomas Tesdale, and was named after ...
and was awarded a Master of Arts degree in Chemistry in 1980 followed by a Doctor of Philosophy for research on
neutron scattering Neutron scattering, the irregular dispersal of free neutrons by matter, can refer to either the naturally occurring physical process itself or to the man-made experimental techniques that use the natural process for investigating materials. Th ...
from
chemical species A chemical species is a chemical substance or ensemble composed of chemically identical molecular entity, molecular entities that can explore the same set of molecular energy levels on a characteristic or delineated time scale. These energy levels ...
. During his research career, he was the first to bounce a neutron off a soap bubble while he was working at the
Institut Laue Langevin An institute is an organisational body created for a certain purpose. They are often research organisations (research institutes) created to do research on specific topics, or can also be a professional body. In some countries, institutes can ...
.


Career

Highfield served as the Science editor of ''
The Daily Telegraph ''The Daily Telegraph'', known online and elsewhere as ''The Telegraph'', is a national British daily broadsheet newspaper published in London by Telegraph Media Group and distributed across the United Kingdom and internationally. It was fo ...
'' for more than 20 years. During that time he set up a long running science writing award for young people, a photography competition, the 'scientists meet the media' party, and organised mass experiments from 1994 with BBC's
Tomorrow's World ''Tomorrow's World'' is a former British television series about contemporary developments in science and technology. First transmitted on 7 July 1965 on BBC1, it ran for 38 years until it was cancelled at the beginning of 2003. The ''Tomorro ...
, called Live Lab and Megalab, such as the 'Truth Test' with
Richard Wiseman Richard J. Wiseman (born 17 September 1966) is a Professor of the Public Understanding of Psychology at the University of Hertfordshire in the United Kingdom. He has written several psychology books. He has given keynote addresses to The Royal ...
. He was the editor of the British magazine ''
New Scientist ''New Scientist'' is a magazine covering all aspects of science and technology. Based in London, it publishes weekly English-language editions in the United Kingdom, the United States and Australia. An editorially separate organisation publishe ...
'' from 2008 to 2011, where he redesigned the magazine and introduced new sections, notably Aperture and Instant Expert. , Highfield became the Director of External Affairs at the
Science Museum Group The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums: * The Science Museum in South Kensington, London * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester * The National Railway Museum in York * The Locomotion Museum (formerly the Natio ...
. In 2012, he published the results of a mass intelligence test with Adrian Owen. In 2016 he launched a critique of
Big Data Though used sometimes loosely partly because of a lack of formal definition, the interpretation that seems to best describe Big data is the one associated with large body of information that we could not comprehend when used only in smaller am ...
in biology with Ed Dougherty of Texas A&M and
Peter Coveney Coveney is a Professor of Physical Chemistry, Honorary Professor of Computer Science, and the Director of the Centre for Computational Science (CCS) and Associate Director of the Advanced Research Computing Centre at University College London (UC ...
. In 2019, Highfield became the Science Director at the
Science Museum Group The Science Museum Group (SMG) consists of five British museums: * The Science Museum in South Kensington, London * The Science and Industry Museum in Manchester * The National Railway Museum in York * The Locomotion Museum (formerly the Natio ...
. For the group, he wrote a series of long-form blogs about the science of Covid19 and in 2021 organised a special Covid19 issue of the Royal Society journal ''
Interface Focus ''Interface Focus'' is the Royal Society's cross-disciplinary themed publication promoting research at the interface between the physical and life sciences. It is the sister journal to ''Journal of the Royal Society Interface'' with the main diff ...
''. Highfield is a Visiting Professor of Public Engagement at the Sir William Dunn School of Pathology. He is also Visiting Professor of Public Engagement at the Department of Chemistry at UCL and a Member of the Medical Research Council. The Financial Times listed it as a book to read in 2023


Popular science books

Highfield has written or co-authored nine
popular science ''Popular Science'' (also known as ''PopSci'') is an American digital magazine carrying popular science content, which refers to articles for the general reader on science and technology subjects. ''Popular Science'' has won over 58 awards, incl ...
books, and edited two written by
Craig Venter John Craig Venter (born October 14, 1946) is an American biotechnologist and businessman. He is known for leading one of the first draft sequences of the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. ...
, including:


''Virtual You''

This book coauthored with
Peter Coveney Coveney is a Professor of Physical Chemistry, Honorary Professor of Computer Science, and the Director of the Centre for Computational Science (CCS) and Associate Director of the Advanced Research Computing Centre at University College London (UC ...
, with a foreword by Nobelist
Venki Ramakrishnan Venkatraman Ramakrishnan (born 1952) is an Indian-born British and American structural biologist who shared the 2009 Nobel Prize in Chemistry with Thomas A. Steitz and Ada Yonath, "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome". ...
, is the first popular account of the use of digital twins of human beings to usher in a new era of personalized and predictive medicine. The Financial Times listed it as a book to read in 2023.


''The Dance of Life''

In 2020, his book The Dance of Life: Symmetry Cells and How We Become Human, co-authored with
Magdalena Zernicka-Goetz Magdalena may refer to: * Magdalena (given name), a given name derived from Mary Magdalene (including a list of people with the name) Entertainment * Magdalena (comics), an American comic book superheroine * ''Magdalena'' (film), a 1920 Czecho ...
, was published in the UK and US. The first-person account of trailblazing research on the first artificial embryo-like structure, extending the time embryos survive in the laboratory and the dawn of human life was described by
Alice Roberts Alice May Roberts (born 19 May 1973) is an English biological anthropologist, biologist, television presenter and author. Since 2012 she has been Professor of the Public Engagement in Science at the University of Birmingham. She was President ...
as 'the best book about science and life that I have ever read'. The book was positively reviewed i
Nature
an
Science
for example.


''The Mind Readers''

In 2014 he wrote a 10,000-word article ''The Mind Readers'' in Mosaic, published by the ''
Wellcome Trust The Wellcome Trust is a charitable foundation focused on health research based in London, in the United Kingdom. It was established in 1936 with legacies from the pharmaceutical magnate Henry Wellcome (founder of one of the predecessors of Glaxo ...
''. His account of the efforts to communicate with brain damaged patients that suffer disorders of consciousness was reproduced in other media worldwide, such as Gizmodo, The Week, The Independent and Pacific Standard.


''Supercooperators''

In 2011 his book ''Supercooperators: The Mathematics of Evolution, Altruism and Human Behaviour (Or, Why We Need Each Other to Succeed)'' was published, co-authored with
Martin Nowak Martin Andreas Nowak (born April 7, 1965) is an Austrian-born professor of Mathematical and theoretical biology, mathematical biology, at Harvard University since 2003. He is one of the leading researchers in the field that studies the role of co ...
. A review published in ''
Nature Nature, in the broadest sense, is the physics, physical world or universe. "Nature" can refer to the phenomenon, phenomena of the physical world, and also to life in general. The study of nature is a large, if not the only, part of science. ...
'' by
Manfred Milinski Manfred Milinski (born 8 February 1950) is a German biologist who was Director of the Max Planck Institute for Evolutionary Biology Career He was born in 1950 in Oldenburg. He studied biology and mathematics in Bielefeld and Bochum, went to Oxford ...
describes the book as "part autobiography, part textbook, and reads like a best-selling novel."
David Willetts David Linsay Willetts, Baron Willetts, (born 9 March 1956) is a British politician and life peer. From 1992 to 2015, he was the Member of Parliament (MP) representing the constituency of Havant in Hampshire. He served as Minister of State for ...
, in the ''
Financial Times The ''Financial Times'' (''FT'') is a British daily newspaper printed in broadsheet and published digitally that focuses on business and economic current affairs. Based in London, England, the paper is owned by a Japanese holding company, Nik ...
'', described the book as an "excellent example" of using the nexus of evolutionary biology, game theory and neuroscience to understand the development of cooperation in society


''After Dolly''

In 2006 his book ''After Dolly: The Uses and Misuses of Human Cloning'' was published, co-authored with
Ian Wilmut Sir Ian Wilmut, OBE FRS -- FMedSci FRSE (born 7 July 1944) is an English embryologist and Chair of the Scottish Centre for Regenerative Medicine at the University of Edinburgh. He is best known as the leader of the research group that in 19 ...
.
Steven Poole Steven Poole (born 1972) is a British author and journalist. He particularly concerns himself with the abuse of language and has written two books on the subject: ''Unspeak'' (2006) and ''Who Touched Base In My Thought Shower?'' (2013). Biograph ...
in ''The Guardian'' describes the book as "an extremely lucid and readable explanation of the history of cloning and biologists' ideas for the future."


''The Science of Harry Potter''

In 2002 his book ''The Science of Harry Potter: How Magic Really Works'' was published.
Christine Kenneally Christine Kenneally (born in Melbourne, Australia) is an Australian-American journalist who writes on science, language and culture. Trained as a linguist, she has written for ''The New York Times'', the ''New Yorker'', ''Slate'', ''New Scienti ...
in ''
The New York Times ''The New York Times'' (''the Times'', ''NYT'', or the Gray Lady) is a daily newspaper based in New York City with a worldwide readership reported in 2020 to comprise a declining 840,000 paid print subscribers, and a growing 6 million paid ...
'' describes the book as "an enjoyably indirect survey of modern science."


''The Physics of Christmas''

In 1998 his book ''The Physics of Christmas: from the aerodynamics of reindeer to the thermodynamics of turkey'' was published. The British edition, Can Reindeer Fly?, got the world's shortest book review ('No')


''Frontiers of Complexity''

In 1996 his book ''Frontiers of Complexity: the search for order in a chaotic world'' was published, co-authored with
Peter Coveney Coveney is a Professor of Physical Chemistry, Honorary Professor of Computer Science, and the Director of the Centre for Computational Science (CCS) and Associate Director of the Advanced Research Computing Centre at University College London (UC ...
. The Nobel Laureate
Philip Warren Anderson Philip Warren Anderson (December 13, 1923 – March 29, 2020) was an American theoretical physicist and Nobel laureate. Anderson made contributions to the theories of localization, antiferromagnetism, symmetry breaking (including a paper in 19 ...
commented that 'I believe firmly, with Coveney and Highfield, that complexity is the scientific frontier.'


''The Private Lives of Albert Einstein''

In 1993 his book ''The Private Lives of Albert Einstein'' was published, co-authored with Paul Carter.
J.G. Ballard James Graham Ballard (15 November 193019 April 2009) was an English novelist, short story writer, satirist, and essayist known for provocative works of fiction which explored the relations between human psychology, technology, sex, and mass medi ...
commented in a review: "In their lucid and scrupulously researched biography, Roger Highfield and Paul Carter reveal a very different Einstein. To their great credit, these startling revelations never diminish the man but only increase our sense of wonder.”


''The Arrow of Time''

In 1991 his book ''The Arrow of Time'' was published, co-authored with
Peter Coveney Coveney is a Professor of Physical Chemistry, Honorary Professor of Computer Science, and the Director of the Centre for Computational Science (CCS) and Associate Director of the Advanced Research Computing Centre at University College London (UC ...
, which became a
Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
top ten best-seller and New York Times notable book of the year.


Awards and honours

In 2014, he gave the ''
Douglas Adams Douglas Noel Adams (11 March 1952 – 11 May 2001) was an English author and screenwriter, best known for ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy''. Originally a 1978 BBC radio comedy, ''The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy'' developed into a " ...
'' Memorial Lecture for ''Save the Rhino'' with ''
Simon Singh Simon Lehna Singh, (born 19 September 1964) is a British popular science author, theoretical and particle physicist. His written works include ''Fermat's Last Theorem'' (in the United States titled ''Fermat's Enigma: The Epic Quest to Solve th ...
''. Highfield is a member of the Longitude Committee, for the Longitude Prize 2014, Highfield wrote for a time for ''
Newsweek ''Newsweek'' is an American weekly online news magazine co-owned 50 percent each by Dev Pragad, its president and CEO, and Johnathan Davis (businessman), Johnathan Davis, who has no operational role at ''Newsweek''. Founded as a weekly print m ...
.'' and still makes occasional contributions to ''
The Sunday Times ''The Sunday Times'' is a British newspaper whose circulation makes it the largest in Britain's quality press market category. It was founded in 1821 as ''The New Observer''. It is published by Times Newspapers Ltd, a subsidiary of News UK, whi ...
'', The ''
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
'', ''
The Guardian ''The Guardian'' is a British daily newspaper. It was founded in 1821 as ''The Manchester Guardian'', and changed its name in 1959. Along with its sister papers ''The Observer'' and ''The Guardian Weekly'', ''The Guardian'' is part of the Gu ...
'' and ''
Aeon magazine ''Aeon'' is a digital magazine of ideas, philosophy and culture. Publishing new articles every weekday, Aeon describes itself as a publication which "asks the biggest questions and finds the freshest, most original answers, provided by world-lea ...
''. After testing a treadmill desk in 2006, Highfield uses one at work in the
Science Museum A science museum is a museum devoted primarily to science. Older science museums tended to concentrate on static displays of objects related to natural history, paleontology, geology, industry and industrial machinery, etc. Modern trends in mu ...
and has advocated their widespread adoption. He often invites his visitors to take it for a spin, including
Heston Blumenthal Heston Marc Blumenthal (; born 27 May 1966) is a British celebrity chef, TV personality and food writer. Blumenthal is regarded as a pioneer of multi-sensory cooking, food pairing and flavour encapsulation. He came to public attention with un ...
,
Craig Venter John Craig Venter (born October 14, 1946) is an American biotechnologist and businessman. He is known for leading one of the first draft sequences of the human genome and assembled the first team to transfect a cell with a synthetic chromosome. ...
,
Samira Ahmed Samira Ahmed (born 15 June 1968) is a British journalist, writer and broadcaster at the BBC, where she has presented Radio 3's ''Night Waves'' and Radio 4's '' PM'', ''The World Tonight'', ''Sunday'' and '' Front Row'' and has presented the ...
,
Al Jean Alfred Ernest Jean III (born January 9, 1961) is an American screenwriter and producer. Jean is well known for his work on ''The Simpsons''. He was raised near Detroit, Michigan, and graduated from Harvard University in 1981. Jean began his wri ...
,
Ben Miller Bennet Evan Miller (born 24 February 1966) is an English actor, comedian, and author. He rose to fame as one half of the comedy duo Armstrong and Miller. Miller is also known for playing the lead role of DI Richard Poole in the first two serie ...
and Dame
Gail Rebuck Gail Ruth Rebuck, Baroness Rebuck (born 10 February 1952) is a British publisher and chair of the international book publishing group Penguin Random House's British operations. She sits in the House of Lords as a Labour member. Early life and ...
He has been listed on the
Evening Standard The ''Evening Standard'', formerly ''The Standard'' (1827–1904), also known as the ''London Evening Standard'', is a local free daily newspaper in London, England, published Monday to Friday in tabloid format. In October 2009, after be ...
Progress 1000 in 2012 and 2016. In 2012, Highfield gave the Wilkins-Bernal-Medawar Lecture, on ''Heroes of Science'', at 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 2020, Highfield was elected a Fellow of the Academy of Medical Sciences Highfield was appointed
Officer of the Order of the British Empire 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 ...
(OBE) in the
2022 New Year Honours The 2022 New Year Honours are appointments by some of the 15 Commonwealth realms to various orders and honours to recognise and reward good works by citizens of those countries. The New Year Honours are awarded as part of the New Year celebrations ...
for services to public engagement with science.


Personal life

Highfield married Julia Brookes in 1992 and has one son and one daughter.


References

{{DEFAULTSORT:Highfield, Roger Ronald 1958 births People educated at Christ's Hospital Living people Science journalists Museum people Fellows of the Royal Society of Biology Alumni of Pembroke College, Oxford The Daily Telegraph people Officers of the Order of the British Empire