Stephen Hawking was a fellow of the Royal Society and a member of the US National Academy of Science. His passing has left an intellectual vacuum in his wake. But it’s not empty. Think of it as a kind of vacuum energy permeating the fabric of space-time that defies measure. Stephen Hawking, RIP 1942-2018.
His scientific works include a collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems in the framework of general relativity. It also includes the theoretical prediction that black holes emit radiation, often called Hawking radiation. Stephen Hawking was the first to set out a theory of cosmology explained by a union of the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics.
Hawking was former Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at the University of Cambridge and author of A Brief History of Time, an international bestseller. He was also a theoretical physicist whose early work on black holes transformed how scientists think about the nature of the universe.
“He was a great scientist and an extraordinary man whose work and legacy will live on for many years,” the family statement said, according to The Guardian. “His courage and persistence with his brilliance and humor inspired people across the world. He once said, ‘It would not be much of a universe if it wasn’t home to the people you love.’ We will miss him for ever.”