Stephen Hawking is a scientist.
Cosmology . Physical cosmology is the scholarly and scientific study of the origin , large-scale structures and dynamics , and ultimate fate of the universe , as well as the scientific laws that govern these realities . Physics ( from [ φυσική , phusikḗ ( epistḗmē ) , knowledge of nature ] , from φύσις phúsis `` nature '' ) is the natural science that involves the study of matter and its motion and behavior through space and time , along with related concepts such as energy and force . The Pontifical Academy of Sciences ( Pontificia accademia delle scienze , Pontificia Academia Scientiarum ) is a scientific academy of the Vatican City , established in 1936 by Pope Pius XI , and thriving with the blessing of the Papacy ever since . Stephen Hawking . Hawking is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts , a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences , and a recipient of the Presidential Medal of Freedom , the highest civilian award in the US .