Distinguished Professor Roy Kerr CNZM FRSNZ named Fellow of the Royal Society, London
Fellow and Rutherford Medallist Distinguished Professor Roy Kerr formerly of the University of Canterbury has been elected a Fellow of the Royal Society of London.
Distinguished Professor Roy Kerr FRS CNZM FRSNZ is one of fifty-one eminent scientists elected as Fellows of the Royal Society London this year. He is one of only 43 New Zealanders to be elected to its ranks. They include New Zealand science pioneers Sir Ernest Rutherford and Sir Paul Callaghan.
Distinguished Professor Kerr is best known for the Kerr Metric and the Kerr Black Hole. In 1963, Kerr discovered a specific solution to Einstein’s field equations which describes a structure now termed a Kerr black hole. It quickly became apparent and proven that any stationary black hole can be described by Kerr’s solution.
His revolutionary 56-year-old solution was proven correct with the first black hole image.
Distinguished Professor Kerr was made a Fellow of the Royal Society of New Zealand in 1975 and was awarded the Rutherford Medal in 1993.
Source: Royal Society Te Apārangi