“In my school, the brightest boys did math and physics, the less bright did physics and chemistry, and the least bright did biology. I wanted to do math and physics, but my father made me do chemistry because he thought there would be no jobs for mathematicians.”

English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author

Stephen Hawking was an English theoretical astrophysicist, cosmologist, and author. He was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge, and from 1979 to 2009 he held the Lucasian Professorship of Mathematics there. He is known for his work in theoretical astrophysics and cosmology, as well as for his writing. His career was closely associated with Cambridge, where he occupied a post widely regarded as among the most prestigious in academic life.