William B. Bonnor

Who is William B. Bonnor?

William Bowen Bonnor is a mathematician and gravitation physicist best known for his research into astrophysics, cosmology and general relativity. For most of his academic career he has been a professor of mathematics at the University of London.

William Bonnor was born in London on 13 September 1920. He was educated at County High School, Ilford, at South East Essex Technical College and at Birkbeck College. His degrees of B.Sc., Ph.D. and D.Sc. were all obtained by part-time study.

On leaving school in 1937 Bonnor served in clerical and executive branches of the Civil Service until 1944, when he became a chemist in the Admiralty, doing development work in paint technology. In 1946 he joined Shell Refining and Marketing Company to work on the rheology of lubricating greases.

His career as a mathematician commenced in 1949 after obtaining a degree in mathematics at Birkbeck College. He joined the Department of Applied Mathematics at the University of Liverpool, where he met his future wife, Jean Stott, a staff tutor in social science. In 1957 he was appointed Reader and head of the mathematics department at Queen Elizabeth College, University of London. He was promoted to Professor in 1962, and stayed with the College until retirement in 1985.