11 Facts About Richard Southwood

Sir Thomas Richard Edmund Southwood GOM DL FRS was a British biologist, professor of zoology and vice-chancellor of the University of Oxford.

Richard Southwood wrote a landmark textbook on Ecological Methods that went into numerous editions.

Richard Southwood was well known for developing the field of entomology through mentorship of a circle of researchers at Silwood Park.

Richard Southwood became interested in natural history at an early age, and developed his skills on the family dairy farm in Kent; he had his first research article on sunbathing in birds in British Birds when he was fifteen and about insects published in the Entomologist's Monthly Magazine when he was a year older.

Richard Southwood's father had received some education at the Wye College.

Richard Southwood returned to Imperial as a research assistant and lecturer, and in 1967 became head of the department of zoology and applied entomology, and director of Imperial College's Field Station at Silwood Park.

Richard Southwood later became dean of science and chair of the division of life sciences.

Richard Southwood served as chairman of the Royal Commission on Environmental Pollution from 1981 to 1985, having been first appointed to the commission in 1974.

Richard Southwood was chairman of the National Radiological Protection Board from 1985 until 1994, and chaired the Working Party on Bovine Spongiform Encephalopathy set up by the British Government in 1988.

Richard Southwood was a contributing member of the Oxford Round Table, an interdisciplinary forum for the discussion of contemporary issues.

Sir Richard Southwood married, in 1955, Alison Langley who he met at Rothamsted; Sir Richard and Lady Southwood had two sons and six grandchildren.