My friend Peter Briggs, who has died aged 77, had a career in science and education, and was a Methodist local preacher for nearly 50 years. He was passionate about sharing his scientific knowledge with the general public, and relished debate between people of science and faith.
Peter was born in Sheffield, the son of Hewison, a civil servant, and his wife, Doris, who worked in retail. He went to Abbeydale boys’ grammar school in the city, then the University of Sussex to study molecular science, and stayed on for a PhD in theoretical chemistry. At Sussex Peter engaged with the ethical demands of Christianity at the groundbreaking Meeting House, an ecumenical centre for Christian students. There he met Jenny Watts, and they married in 1969.
After two postdoctoral posts at the universities of Sheffield and Bristol, Peter changed tack and worked for seven years in the voluntary sector, as a deputation secretary in the Overseas Division of the Methodist church (1973-77), organising programmes for overseas mission partners who were back in the UK on furlough, and as Christian Aid’s area secretary for Hertfordshire and Essex (1977-80).
Then, in 1980, he joined the British Association for the Advancement of Science (BAAS, now the British Science Association), where he spent 22 years, initially developing its work with young people, then taking responsibility for media links and for the BAAS’s growing role in the public understanding of science. Peter loved working for the BAAS and in 1990 became its chief executive. He was awarded an honorary degree of DSc by the University of Leicester in 2002 in recognition of his work for the public understanding of science.
Throughout this time, Peter was a Methodist local preacher in north-west London, where he and Jenny lived. He was convinced that faith and science were not opposites, but part of the human understanding of what it means to live a good life. He was the sort of preacher that people would go out of their way to listen to – always entertaining, thoughtful and accessible, with a deep personal faith and an open mind.
When he left the BAAS, Peter became principal of Southlands College, Roehampton, where he was also pro vice-chancellor of the university. He was appointed OBE in the 2010 New Year Honours list, and in 2011-12 he served as master of the Worshipful Company of Educators.
Peter was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s in 2015, and – typically for a man of science and faith – offered to be part of a research project aiming to understand more about this disease.
He is survived by Jenny, and their children, Alison and Andy.