| Authorised form of name | May; Charles (1800 - 1860) |
| Dates | 1800 - 1860 |
| Place of birth | Alton |
| Date of birth | 1801 |
| Place of death | King's Road Clapham Park |
| Date of death | 10 August 1860 |
| DatesAndPlaces | Burial: 13 August 1860 |
| Occupation | Civil engineer |
| Activity | Memberships:
FRAS; MICE
|
| Membership category | Fellow |
| Date of election | 01/06/1854 |
| OtherInfo | Robert was is a theoretical ecologist, promoter of science and political influencer. Pioneering a mathematical approach to ecology, Robert established the field of theoretical ecology and developed influential and highly cited theories in population biology. He held several high-profile positions in the UK scientific and political establishments.
Robert began a successful research career as a theoretical physicist but turned his attention and skills to ecology in the 1970s. By applying mathematical techniques to populations and ecosystems, Robert first focused on unpicking the relationship between complexity and stability in natural communities — the May–Wigner stability theorem. More recently he has been working with the Bank of England on stability and complexity in banking systems.
In 1996, Robert was knighted for services to science. He became one of the first life peers in the House of Lords in 2001 and was appointed by Her Majesty The Queen to the Order of Merit in 2002. He served in several high-profile roles, including President of the Royal Society and Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK government. Major prizes include the Swedish Craaford Prize, the Janpanese Blue Planet Prize, and the Swiss-Italian Balzan Prize.
Baron May of Oxford OM AC Kt HonFREng FRS died on 28 April 2020. |
| Source | Sources:
Bulloch's Roll
Obituaries:
Proc Roy Soc 1860-1862 vol 11 pp x-xi |
| Code | NA2178 |
Archives associated with this Fellow
| RefNo | Title | Date |
| EC/1854/10 | May, Charles: certificate of election to the Royal Society | |
| HS/9/447 | Letter, from [William Jackson] Hooker to [Charles] May, dated at Glasgow | 18 October 1833 |
| HS/12/311 | Letter, from Charles May to Sir John Herschel, dated at Ampthill | 16 April 1833 |
| HS/12/314 | Letter, from Charles May to Sir John Herschel, dated at Great George St. | 29 November 1859 |
| HS/14/17 | Letter, from Sir William Pole to Cha[rle]s May, dated at 8 Great George St. | 2 July 1856 |
| HS/12/313 | Letter, from Charles May to Sir John Herschel, dated at Great George St. | 23 July 1856 |
| HS/12/315 | Draft letter, from Sir John Herschel to Charles May, dated at 37 Tavistock Place, Russell Square | 5 December 1859 |
| HS/12/312 | Letter, from Charles May to Sir John Herschel, dated at Ampthill | 25 October 1833 |
| HS/12/310 | Letter, from Charles May to Sir John Herschel, dated at Ampthill | 7 March 1833 |