Professor
Tom McLeish FRS 1962-2023

Tom was one of the world’s true polymaths and will surely be fondly remembered for his irrepressible enthusiasm and insatiable curiosity about the world, his engaging and  entertaining manner, and his warmth, kindness and generosity to all.

Tom was born and grew up in North Kent. He joined Sevenoaks School in 1973 and there is no doubt that the remarkable teachers set Tom on the path to such an extraordinarily rich and fruitful life. It was from Sevenoaks that he was launched onto Emmanuel College, Cambridge to study Physics and Theoretical Physics, and gain a PhD in Polymer Physics.

Tom was a great supporter of Sevenoaks and enjoyed returning to give talks, meet staff and students and to hear about the school to which he owed so much. He also gave guidance as Chair of the Institute of Teaching and Learning Advisory Board.

Tom believed, passionately, that science is a God-given gift and spent a lifetime developing a theology of science. He worked tirelessly to make science engaging and accessible to all. Tom’s academic research started with the disentanglement of real-world polymers. He took existing ideas and made them much better; he introduced entirely new ways of thinking. Tom also took delight in showing how mathematical ideas can unite different scientific disciplines and was internationally recognised for his interdisciplinary research.

Two of his long-term projects speak volumes for his passions: the Ordered Universe Project involving a unique configuration of natural scientists, social scientists, humanities  scholars and artists to explore the work of the 13th century polymath Robert Grosseteste; and Equipping Christian Leadership in an Age of Science (ECLAS) to create opportunities for church leaders to connect with science.

Tom won the highest prizes from the British, European and US Societies of Rheology – the Gold Medal, the Weissenberg Award and the Bingham Medal. In 2011 he was elected as Fellow of the Royal Society and became Chair of the Education Committee where he played a key role in national curriculum development and science education. Besides these achievements, Tom was Pro Vice-Chancellor at Durham University, and in 2018 he joined the University of York as Chair in Natural Philosophy – a title that he chose, and which fitted the unique academic that he was. In the same year, the Archbishop of Canterbury presented Tom with the Lanfranc Award for Education and Scholarship. Tom also authored many books, including Faith and Wisdom in Science and The Poetry and Music of Science.

Tom lived life to the full. He loved hill-walking and scuba diving, singing and playing the French horn, and travelling the world. He loved Schumann, the Old Testament book of Job, and spending time with his wife Julie, four children and their growing families. He was a lay reader in the church and took any opportunity to share the faith and hope he had in
Jesus – right until the end. Tom loved people and was widely and deeply loved.

Julie McLeish