Timothy Robin Radford (9 October 1940 – 10 February 2025) was a British journalist who was the science editor for The Guardian newspaper from 1980 to 2005.
Early life
Timothy Robin Radford was born in Rawene, New Zealand, on 9 October 1940, and grew up in Devonport, near Auckland.[1] He was educated at Sacred Heart College, Auckland.[1][2] At 16, he joined The New Zealand Herald as a reporter. He moved to the United Kingdom in 1961, working at first as a Whitehall information officer,[1] and subsequently working in journalism, notably for The Guardian newspaper, as well as being a contributor to other publications including The Lancet, New Scientist and The London Review of Books.[3]
Career
Radford worked for The Guardian for 32 years. Over the course of his career, he was letters editor, arts editor, literary editor, and science editor — holding the last post from 1980 until 2005.[4] He also served on the UK committee for the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. He was married, with two adult children.[2]
Personal life and death
In 1964, Radford married Maureen Coveney; they had two children and were married until her death in 2024.[1]
Radford died on 10 February 2025, at the age of 84.[1]
Awards
Radford won four Association of British Science Writers awards:[5]
- Lifetime achievement award for services to science journalism, 2004
- Best feature on science subject in a national or regional newspaper, 2004, for Touching the Void, published in The Guardian on 22 July 2004
- Best communication of science in a non-science context, 2001, for Tell us, Solly, published in the London Review of Books on 20 September 2001
- Other awards in 1992 and 1997
References
- ^ a b c d e Bates, Stephen (13 February 2025). "Tim Radford obituary". The Guardian. Retrieved 13 February 2025.
- ^ a b Radford, Tim (3 June 2008). "The Guardian writer profile". London. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- ^ Highfield, Roger (12 February 2025). "Tim Radford (1940-2025)". absw.org.uk. Association of British Science Writers. Retrieved 17 February 2025.
- ^ Radford, Tim (2011). "Of course scientists can communicate". Nature. 469 (7331): 445. Bibcode:2011Natur.469..445R. doi:10.1038/469445a. PMID 21270851. Retrieved 6 October 2012.
- ^ "Association of British Science Writers award winners". Retrieved 6 October 2012.
Bibliography
- The Consolations of Physics: Why the Wonders of the Universe can make you Happy (2018), 192 pages, Sceptre (August 2018), Paperback ISBN 978-1473658165
- The Address Book: Our Place in the Scheme of Things (2009), 224 pages, Fourth Estate (April 2011), Paperback ISBN 978-0007356294; Hardback ISBN 978-0007255207
- The Crisis of Life on Earth: Our Legacy from the Second Millennium (1990), 224 pages, Thorsons (October 1990), Hardback ISBN 978-0722521397
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