1931-

English Mathematician and Physicist

Sir Roger Penrose, one of the leading mathematicians of the later half of the twentieth century, is perhaps best known for his collaborative work with British physicist Stephen Hawking (1942- ) regarding the calculation and prediction of the fundamental properties associated with black holes. Penrose served on Hawking's Ph.D. thesis committee, authored books with Hawking, and shared the 1988 Wolf Prize for Physics with Hawking for their contributions to theoretical understanding of black holes, singularities, and cosmology. In 1994 Penrose was knighted for his contributions to mathematics and science.

Penrose was born in Colchester, England. He undertook undergraduate studies at University College School, London, and doctoral work in algebraic geometry at Cambridge. Penrose earned a Ph.D. in 1957 and subsequently held a number of academic posts, including a professorship at Oxford. In addition to many honors and awards for a distinguished...