The lives of UK marine scientists
We are fortunate that the lives of several marine scientists have been documented in published obituaries and, in the case of recent Fellows of the Royal Society, in Biographical Memoirs. We have compiled a list of those that are available online. These are arranged in chronological order together with a short description of the major contributions that each individual has made.

Some of the staff at Bidston Observatory in the 1950s alongside the Bidston One O’Clock Gun. Bidston was where Joseph Proudman, Arthur Doodson and David Carwright, three of the FRSs in our list, were based.
A recent and more comprehensive insight into the lives of scientists can be found in recorded (and in many cases, transcribed) oral histories. Many of these have been compiled by the British Library through their Voices of Science and are listed below with direct links to the recordings. Also included in this list are links to recordings made under the auspices of other organisations.
Latest News
Royal Society Publishing Photography Competition 2025
Please see a message from the Royal Society below:
We are delighted to announce that the 2025 Competition is now open for entries until 15 August for a chance to win £1000! The competition celebrates the power of photography in conveying the wonder of science happening all around us and photographs can be submitted in the categories of: Astronomy, Behaviour, Earth Science and Climatology, Ecology and Environmental Science, and Microimaging.
The competition is free to enter and open to anyone studying or working in science at graduate level or above. Category winners will receive a one-year membership to the Royal Photographic Society and the overall winner will receive a grand prize of £1,000. Find out more: https://bit.ly/RSPphotocomp
October 2025 MEDIN Workshop: Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) are pleased to announce that registration is now open for the next occurrence of our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 13th – 17th October 2025 on OceanTeacher Global Academy.
Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset
The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) and OceanWise are delighted to invite you to attend our popular free online training workshop: ‘Marine Data Management, Governance and the MEDIN toolset’ on the 19th – 23rd of May 2025.