Jesus College has launched an appeal to create a fully funded DPhil Studentship in Physics, in memory of Emeritus Fellow Professor Fred Taylor.  

Fred, who passed away in 2021, was a much-loved and highly-respected member of the College. His association with Jesus spanned nearly six decades, beginning in 1966 when he was a DPhil student under the supervision of Sir John Houghton. After completing his thesis on the development of an infrared radiometer that would be used on Nimbus 6 and subsequent missions to Venus and Mars, Fred moved to California where he spent nearly a decade working for NASA at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory.

 

He returned to Oxford in 1979 as Reader and Acting Head of the Atmospheric Physics Department and was later appointed to the Halley Professorship in 1990. Under his leadership, the Department expanded in size and significantly broadened the scope of its research, later becoming known as the Department of Atmospheric, Oceanic and Planetary Physics (AOPP).

As a Fellow at Jesus, Fred continued to make significant contributions to both academic and public life. Over the years he remained directly involved in key space missions with NASA and ESA, and his numerous publications on planetary science garnered him a popular following with global reach. Having retired from the Department in 2011, Fred became an Emeritus Fellow, and was still very much an active member of College – regularly coming in to meet colleagues for lunch and work. His death in December 2021 was a tragic loss to scholarship, as well as for the whole College community.

The Professor Fred and Doris Taylor Clarendon DPhil Studentship in Physics is a meaningful and appropriate way to honour Fred’s legacy at Jesus. His wife, Doris Taylor, writes:

“Fred and I both benefited greatly from student grants and scholarships, and also from a long and close association with Jesus College. I can think of no better way to express our gratitude than to help establish a scholarship fund that will aid a future Jesus graduate student in achieving their educational goals.”

Not only was Fred a graduate student at College, he also supervised a large number of Physics DPhil students, many of whom currently work in the field. Dr Brittany Wellner James, Director of Development and Fellow, says: “With Fred’s legacy in mind, we will aim to make this scholarship available to Physics DPhil candidates, with a preference for AOPP students. On behalf of the College community,  I would like to offer our sincere thanks to Doris Taylor for her initial generosity to the appeal, which means we have already made significant headway to securing this studentship for College”. 

She adds: “If you would like to make a gift to this special appeal, you will enable a future Physics graduate student to contribute to advancing research and make a meaningful contribution to Departmental and College life. Thank you for your consideration and for helping us celebrate Fred’s legacy”. 

To make a gift to the Professor Fred and Doris Taylor Clarendon DPhil Studentship in Physics, click here.