John Polkinghorne

John Charlton Polkinghorne KBE FRS (16 October 1930 – 9 March 2021) was an English theoretical physicist, theologian, and Anglican priest. He was Professor of Mathematical Physics at the University of Cambridge from 1968 to 1979. He became an ordained Anglican priest in 1982. He was the president of Queens' College, Cambridge, from 1988 until 1996.

The Reverend Canon John Polkinghorne KBE FRS
Polkinghorne in 2007
President of Queens' College, Cambridge
In office 1988–1996
Preceded by	Ronald Oxburgh
Succeeded by	Lord Eatwell
Personal details
Born	John Charlton Polkinghorne (1930-10-16)16 October 1930 Weston-super-Mare, Somerset, England
Died	9 March 2021(2021-03-09) (aged 90) Cambridge, England
Citizenship	United Kingdom
Spouse(s)	Ruth Polkinghorne ​ (m. 1955)​
Awards	Fellow of the Royal Society (1974) KBE (1997) Templeton Prize (2002)
Ecclesiastical career
Religion	Christianity (Anglican)
Church	Church of England
Ordained	1981 (deacon) 1982 (priest)
Offices held	Vicar of Blean (1984–1986) Dean of Chapel at Trinity Hall, Cambridge (1986–1989) Canon Theologian of Liverpool Cathedral (1994–2005)
Academic background
Alma mater	Trinity College, Cambridge
Thesis	Contributions to Quantum Field Theory (1955)
Doctoral advisor	Nicholas Kemmer[1] Abdus Salam[1]
Influences	Ian Barbour[2] Paul Dirac[3] Murray Gell-Mann[1] Bernard Lonergan[4] Jürgen Moltmann[5] Michael Polanyi[6] W. H. Vanstone[5][7]
Academic work
Discipline	Physics theology
Sub-discipline	Mathematical physics particle physics
School or tradition	Evangelical Anglicanism[8] theological critical realism
Institutions	University of Edinburgh Trinity Hall, Cambridge Queens' College, Cambridge
Doctoral students	David Fairlie Peter Goddard[9] Peter Landshoff [de][9] Sir Tom Kibble James Stirling[9]
Main interests	Quantum field theory relationship between science and religion
Notable works	The Way the World Is (1983) Faith, Science and Understanding (2000)

Polkinghorne died on 9 March 2021 at the age of 90.^[10]

References

1. Polkinghorne, John (15 December 1986). "Gell-Mann Opened My Eyes". The Scientist. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
2. Losch 2009, p. 91. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLosch2009 (help)
3. Losch 2018, p. 98. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLosch2018 (help)
4. Losch 2009, p. 103. sfn error: no target: CITEREFLosch2009 (help)
5. Williams, Stephen (2018). "John Polkinghorne on the Doctrine of Creation". Carl F. H. Henry Center for Theological Understanding. Deerfield, Illinois: Trinity Evangelical Divinity School. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
6. Losch 2009, p. 92 sfnm error: no target: CITEREFLosch2009 (help); Polkinghorne 1994, p. 47 sfnm error: no target: CITEREFPolkinghorne1994 (help).
7. Watkins 2012, p. 217. sfn error: no target: CITEREFWatkins2012 (help)
8. Hefner 2001, p. 234. sfn error: no target: CITEREFHefner2001 (help)
9. "DAMTP Theses". Cambridge, England: University of Cambridge. Archived from the original on 4 January 2013. Retrieved 5 January 2020.
10. "College Announcement". Queens' College, Cambridge. 10 March 2021. Retrieved 10 March 2021.