John Maddox
Editor of Nature and science writer
Sir John Maddox (1925-2009) was a Welsh theoretical chemist, physicist and science writer, born in Penllergaer, near Swansea. He is best remembered as the long-serving and highly influential editor of the scientific journal Nature, holding the post across two spells, from 1966 to 1973 and again from 1980 to 1995.
Maddox read chemistry at Christ Church, Oxford, and later studied physics at King's College London. From 1949 to 1955 he lectured in theoretical physics at the University of Manchester before moving into science journalism and editing. Under his leadership, Nature was transformed from a somewhat amateur publication into a rigorous, internationally respected journal, with new offices opened in Washington DC and Japan and closer links forged with broadcasters and newspapers to bring science to a wider public.
He was knighted for his services to science, and remained a prominent and often outspoken commentator on scientific matters, including controversial critiques of pseudoscience, until his death in 2009.