Prof. Tom McLeish FInstP FRS
Tom McLeish is a Distinguished Fellow of ISCAST and is Professor of Physics at Durham University in the UK.
Tom McLeish is Professor of Physics at Durham University in the UK. Tom's first degree was in physics followed by a PhD (1987) in polymer physics at Cambridge University. A lectureship at Sheffield University in complex fluid physics was then followed by a chair at Leeds University from 1993. He has since won several awards both in Europe (Weissenberg Medal) and the USA (Bingham Medal) for his work on molecular rheology of polymers, and he directed a large collaborative and multidisciplinary research programme in this field from 1999 to 2009, co-funded by EPSRC and industry.
Tom's research interests include molecular rheology of polymeric fluids, macromolecular biological physics, and issues of theology, ethics and history of science. He has published over 180 scientific papers and reviews, and is also regularly involved in science communication with the public, including lectures and workshops on science and faith. In 2014 Oxford University Press published his book Faith and Wisdom in Science. He has been a Reader in the Anglican Church since 1993 in the dioceses of Ripon and York.
From 2008 to 2014 Tom served as Pro-Vice-Chancellor for Research at Durham University. In 2011 he was elected a Fellow of the Royal Society. He served as Vice-President of Science and Innovation in the Institute of Physics 2012–2015, and is currently chair of the Royal Society’s Education Committee.