In response to this sad news, the Head of Department, Prof. James Keeler, said: “It is with a heavy heart that I announce the death of our dear colleague Professor Ruth Lynden-Bell, who passed away peacefully earlier this week. Those who knew her will, I am sure, remember her sharp and incisive mind, her warm manner, and above all her generous spirit."

Ruth was a member of the Department for many years and one of the founding Fellows of New Hall (as Murray Edwards College was known at its foundation). She was elected FRS in 2006, and went on to spend a highly successful period as a senior professor at Queen’s University Belfast before returning to Cambridge, where she remained an active and engaged presence throughout her retirement.

A distinguished theorist with an exceptionally wide range of interests, Ruth’s work spanned fields from NMR to liquids and disordered solids. She carried out pioneering research on the modelling of ionic liquids and, at QUB, co-founded a flourishing group in atomistic simulation, bringing together expertise across the schools of physics, mathematics, and chemistry.

A memorial service will be held later in the year.

Theory Garden Party 2021. From left: Prof. Sir David Clary, Prof. Angelos Michaelides, Prof. David Wales, Prof. Ruth Lynden-Bell and Prof. James Keeler. 

Image taken by Gabriella Bocchetti @University of Cambridge.