Prof Chandra Wickramasinghe

Career: fell Jesus Coll Cambridge 1963-73, prof and head Dept of Applied Mathematics and Astronomy UC Cardiff 1973-88, dir Inst of Fundamental Studies and advsr to Pres of Sri Lanka 1982-84; prof of applied maths and astronomy Univ of Wales 1988-2006, emeritus prof Cardiff Univ 2006-; fndr dir Cardiff Centre for Astrobiology 2000-10, dir Buckingham Centre for Astrobiology 2011-; visiting prof of physics Univ of W Indies Mona Kingston 1994, hon prof Glamorgan Univ 2007-, hon prof Univ of Buckingham 2011-; co-author with Prof Sir Fred Hoyle of a series of books on cosmic theory of life 1978-88; Powell Prize for English Verse Trinity Coll Cambridge 1962, Int Dag Hammarskjöld Gold Medal for Science 1986, Scholarly Achievement Award Inst of Oriental Philosophy Japan 1988, Soka Gakkai Int Peace and Culture Award 1993, Int Sahabdeen Award for Science 1996, John Snow Lecture Medal Assoc of Anaesthetists of GB and Ireland 2004; Hon Dr Soka Univ Tokyo 1996, Hon DSc Ruhana Univ Sri Lanka; FRAS, FRSA, FIMA; conferred title of Vidya Jyothi (Sri Lankan Nat Honour) 1992

Books and Publications: Interstellar Grains (1967), Light Scattering Functions (1973), Lifecloud (with F Hoyle, 1978), Diseases from Space (1979), Evolution from Space (1981), Space Travellers (1981), From Grains to Bacteria (1984), Living Comets (1985), Archaeopteryx (1986), Cosmic Life Force (1988), The Theory of Cosmic Grains (1991), Our Place in the Cosmos (1992), Mysteries of the Universe and Life (with D Ikeda, 1994), Glimpses of Life, Time and Space (1994), Life on Mars? The Case for a Cosmic Heritage (with F Hoyle, 1997), Astronomical Origins of Life: Steps Towards Panspermia (2000), Cosmic Dragons: Life and Death of a Planet (2001), A Journey with Fred Hoyle (2005), Comets and the Origin of Life (with J T Wickramasinghe and W M Napier, 2009)