Biography

Professor Sir John Brian Pendry is a distinguished theoretical physicist renowned for his research into electromagnetics and condensed matter physics and is globally acclaimed as ‘the father of metamaterials ’.

He holds a PhD from the University of Cambridge, where he researched theoretical physics in the Cavendish Laboratory followed by a Fellowship at Downing College. After a year working at AT&T Bell Laboratories in the US he moved to head the theory group at the UK’s synchrotron radiation source. In 1981 he moved to his present position as a Professor at Imperial College London, where he has held several offices, including Dean of the Royal College of Science, Head of the Physics Department, and Principal of the Faculty of Physical Sciences.

In his research on materials, Sir John recognised that their properties were determined as much by their structure as their chemical composition, adding a new dimension to material design, particularly in electromagnetism. This new class of materials has found wide application in 6G technology, security, magnetic resonance imaging and several other fields. He captured the popular imagination worldwide after his published research on these new materials that showed how light could be bent around an object to render it invisible were realised into a fully functioning ‘invisibility cloak’.

During his career he has contributed to several different fields of research, including low energy electron diffraction and the development of a theory of extended Xray absorption spectroscopy, as well as investigating how electrons behave in disordered solids, and materials whose properties have extreme dependence on time.

Sir John has received many awards for his achievements, including inter alia the Kavli, the Dan David, and Kyoto prizes, the Copley medal of the Royal Society, the UNESCO-Niels Bohr gold medal. He is a Fellow of the Royal Society, an International Member of the Norwegian Academy of Sciences and Letters, and an International Member of the US National Academy of Sciences.

In recognition of his contributions to academia and humanity worldwide, the University has resolved to confer upon him the degree of Doctor of Science honoris causa.