Overview

Robert McCredie May, Baron May of Oxford (8 January 1936 – 28 April 2020) was an Australian-born scientist and public intellectual whose work bridged theoretical ecology, mathematical biology and science policy. He is widely remembered for applying mathematical models to problems in population dynamics and biodiversity, and for senior leadership roles in British and international science institutions. He held academic posts at institutions including the University of Sydney and Princeton University, and sat in the House of Lords as a crossbench peer (House of Lords) from 2001 until his retirement in 2017.

Research and main contributions

May brought quantitative tools from physics and mathematics to ecological questions. He used relatively simple models to explore how species populations rise and fall, how interactions among species affect community behaviour, and how complexity relates to ecological stability. His work demonstrated that nonlinear dynamics, including chaotic behaviour, can appear in simple biological models and that increasing the number of species or interactions does not always make an ecosystem more stable — a result that triggered extensive debate and further research in ecology.

Key themes of his research include:

  • Population dynamics: analysis of growth, regulation and fluctuations in single- and multi-species populations.
  • Stability and complexity: formal investigation of when diverse, interconnected communities resist or amplify perturbations.
  • Mathematical ecology: introduction and popularisation of models that reveal qualitative behaviour, such as oscillations and chaos, in ecological systems.

Career, public service and leadership

Beyond research, May combined academic work with prominent advisory and leadership roles. He served as Chief Scientific Adviser to the UK government in the late 1990s, guiding policy on environmental and biological issues, and later became President of the Royal Society (2000–2005). He was a Fellow of Merton College, Oxford (Merton College) and participated in organisations such as the British Science Association (British Science Association) and advisory groups including the Campaign for Science and Engineering. In the House of Lords he sat as an independent (crossbench) member, contributing expertise on science, environment and public health.

Honours and legacy

May received numerous honours and fellowships in recognition of his scientific and public-service contributions. He was a Fellow of learned societies and held high honours in both the United Kingdom and Australia. His textbooks and essays influenced generations of ecologists and mathematicians and shaped modern thinking about biodiversity, conservation and the management of ecosystems. Colleagues and commentators have noted his rare combination of technical originality and public engagement.

Later life and death

In later years he continued to advise, write and teach. May died in Oxford at the age of 84 on 28 April 2020. He passed away in a nursing home in Oxford from pneumonia caused by Alzheimer's disease. He is remembered for reshaping how scientists and policymakers understand ecological risk and for promoting rigorous, model-based approaches to environmental problems.

For further reading on his scientific work and public roles, see institutional pages and obituaries at major science organisations and universities, and archival materials held by the institutions with which he was associated (fellowship and institutional links, for example).