Biography.guide
Home › People › Mathematician › Richard S. Ward
Portrait of Richard S. Ward

Richard S. Ward

b. 1951

British mathematician

Mathematician Physicist University teacher
Don't just read it — keep itBiographies to ownE-book · Audio · Video From $7 →

About Richard S. Ward

Born 1951. Richard S. Ward is a British mathematician, physicist and university teacher, known for Penrose–Ward transform, Ward construction and Ward's conjecture.

Work Ward earned his Ph.D. from the University of Oxford in 1977, under the supervision of Roger Penrose. He is most famous for his extension of Penrose's twistor theory to nonlinear cases, which he with Michael Atiyah used to describe instantons by vector bundles on the three-dimensional complex projective space. He has related interests in the theory of monopoles, topological solitons and skyrmions.

Honors and awards Ward was awarded the Whitehead Prize in 1989 for his work in mathematical physics. He was elected as a fellow of the Royal Society of London in 2005. His certificate of election reads:

Biography shop

Don’t just read it —
keep it.

Full-length biographies made to live with: read them, listen on the way to work, watch them tonight.

  • E-book
  • Audio
  • Video
Browse the shop — from $7

Instant download · yours to keep · every purchase keeps this site free

Important facts

Born
6 September 1951
Birth century
20th century
Occupation
Mathematician, physicist, university teacher
Nationality
United Kingdom
Known for
Penrose–Ward transform, Ward construction, Ward's conjecture
Education
University of Oxford, University of Durham
Employers
Durham University
Awards
Fellow of the Royal Society; Whitehead Prize
Also known as
Richard Samuel Ward

People in Richard S. Ward's life

Named in this biography and alive at the same time

Portrait of Michael Atiyah
Michael Atiyah
1929 – 2019
Mathematician
 Portrait of Roger Penrose
Roger Penrose
b. 1931
Mathematician

Contemporaries

People whose lives overlapped Richard S. Ward's

Portrait of Garrett Birkhoff
Garrett Birkhoff
1911 – 1996
Mathematician
 Portrait of George Szekeres
George Szekeres
1911 – 2005
Mathematician
 Portrait of John Archibald Wheeler
John Archibald Wheeler
1911 – 2008
Physicist
 Portrait of Luis Walter Alvarez
Luis Walter Alvarez
1911 – 1988
Physicist
 Portrait of Qian Xuesen
Qian Xuesen
1911 – 2009
Astronautical engineer
 Portrait of Josephine Barnes
Josephine Barnes
1912 – 1999
Gynecologist

Frequently asked questions

Who is Richard S. Ward?

British mathematician

When was Richard S. Ward born?

Richard S. Ward was born on 6 September 1951.

What is Richard S. Ward's occupation?

Richard S. Ward is a mathematician, physicist and university teacher.

What is Richard S. Ward known for?

Richard S. Ward is known for Penrose–Ward transform, Ward construction and Ward's conjecture.

What nationality is Richard S. Ward?

Richard S. Ward is British.

Sources & further reading

· Wikipedia: Richard S. Ward

· Wikidata: Q1425984

· DBpedia: Richard S. Ward

Cite this page

APA: Biography.guide. (2026). Richard S. Ward. https://biography.guide/richard-s-ward/

MLA: "Richard S. Ward." Biography.guide, https://biography.guide/richard-s-ward/.

Chicago: "Richard S. Ward." Biography.guide. https://biography.guide/richard-s-ward/.

Data last updated: 2026-09-20 · Spot an error? Report a correction.

Page generated 2026-09-27 05:00 UTC