Stephen William Hawking was an English theoretical physicist, cosmologist, and author who was director of research at the Centre for Theoretical Cosmology at the University of Cambridge. He served as the Lucasian Professor of Mathematics at Cambridge from 1979 to 2009, a position regarded as one of the most prestigious academic posts in the world.

Hawking was born in Oxford into a family of physicians. He began his university education at University College, Oxford, at age 17, where he earned a first-class BA degree in physics. He pursued graduate studies at Trinity Hall, Cambridge, obtaining his PhD in applied mathematics and theoretical physics, focusing on general relativity and cosmology. At age 21, Hawking was diagnosed with an early-onset slow-progressing form of motor neurone disease, which eventually left him almost completely paralyzed. After losing his speech, he communicated through a speech-generating device.

Hawking's scientific contributions include collaboration with Roger Penrose on gravitational singularity theorems and the prediction of black hole radiation, known as Hawking radiation. His works bridged the gap between the general theory of relativity and quantum mechanics, and he advocated for the many-worlds interpretation of quantum mechanics.

He achieved commercial success through popular science books discussing his theories and cosmology. His renowned work, A Brief History of Time, appeared on the Sunday Times bestseller list for a record-breaking 237 weeks. Hawking was a Fellow of the Royal Society, a member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and received the Presidential Medal of Freedom. In 2002, he was ranked number 25 on the BBC's poll of the 100 Greatest Britons. Hawking lived more than 50 years following his diagnosis, passing away in 2018 at the age of 76.