Stephen William Hawking: A Biographical Memoir
  Stephen Hawking's contributions to the understanding of gravity, black holes
and cosmology were truly immense. They began with the singularity theorems in
the 1960s followed by his discovery that black holes have an entropy and
consequently a finite temperature. Black holes were predicted to emit thermal
radiation, what is now called Hawking radiation. He pioneered the study of
primordial black holes and their potential role in cosmology. His organisation
of and contributions to the Nuffield Workshop in 1982 consolidated the picture
that the large-scale structure of the universe originated as quantum
fluctuations during the inflationary era. Work on the interplay between quantum
mechanics and general relativity resulted in his formulation of the concept of
the wavefunction of the universe. The tension between quantum mechanics and
general relativity led to his struggles with the information paradox concerning
deep connections between these fundamental areas of physics.
  These achievements were all accomplished following the diagnosis during the
early years of Stephen's studies as a post-graduate student in Cambridge that
he had incurable motor neuron disease -- he was given two years to live.
Against all the odds, he lived a further 55 years. The distinction of his work
led to many honours and he became a major public figure, promoting with passion
the needs of disabled people. His popular best-selling book A Brief History of
Time made cosmology and his own work known to the general public worldwide. He
became an icon for science and an inspiration to all.
