Martin Rees (Lord Rees of Ludlow, OM, FRS) is the UK's Astronomer Royal. Heis based at Cambridge University, where he is a Fellow (and Former Master)of Trinity College. He is a former President of the Royal Society and amember of many foreign academies. His main astronomical research interests have been galaxy formation, cosmic jets, black holes, gamma-ray bursts, along with more speculative aspects of cosmology - in particular, whether we live in a multiverse -and the prospects of detecting extraterrestrial life.
He has been increasingly concerned in recent years about long-termglobal issues - the pressures that a growing and more demanding population are placing on the environment, sustainability and biodiversity; and the impact of powerful new technologies. He is co-founder of the Centre for the Study of Existential Risks at Cambridge University (CSER) with a focus on these issues. In addition to his research publications, he has written extensively for a general readership. His ten books include 'Just Six Numbers', 'Our Cosmic Habitat', 'Gravity's Fatal Attraction, and the recently – published, 'On the Future: Prospects for Humanity'.
