Professor Frank Close OBE FRS is one of Peterborough’s most distinguished scientific figures. Born in Peterborough in 1945 and educated at The King’s School, he went on to become an internationally respected theoretical particle physicist, author and communicator of science.
After studying physics at the University of St Andrews, he completed his doctorate at Magdalen College, Oxford, before working at leading scientific institutions including Stanford, CERN, the Rutherford Appleton Laboratory and the University of Oxford. He is now Professor Emeritus of Theoretical Physics at Oxford and Fellow Emeritus of Exeter College.
Close’s research has focused on the subatomic world, including quarks, the strong force and the structure of matter. Alongside his academic work, he has become widely known for making complex science accessible to the public through books, broadcasting and lectures. His books include The Cosmic Onion, Neutrino, The Infinity Puzzle, Antimatter, Elusive and Trinity.
His contribution to public understanding of physics has been recognised with major honours, including the Institute of Physics Kelvin Medal, the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize and election as a Fellow of the Royal Society.
From Peterborough schoolboy to one of Britain’s leading voices in particle physics, Frank Close’s story is a powerful reminder that the city’s influence reaches far beyond its boundaries — into laboratories, lecture theatres and the deepest questions about the universe itself.