Russell Stannard is a retired high-energy particle physicist, who was born in London, England, on December 24, 1931. He currently holds the position of Professor Emeritus of Physics at the Open University. In 1986, he was awarded the Templeton Prize for ‘significant contributions to the field of spiritual values; in particular for contributions to greater understanding of science and religion’. He was awarded the OBE for ‘contributions to physics, the Open University, and the popularisation of science’ (1998) and the Bragg Medal and Prize of the Institute of Physics for ‘distinguished contributions to the teaching of physics’ (1999).
Stannard is also a sculptor; two of his pieces were until recently on display in the main quadrangle of the Open University site at Milton Keynes.
In 2010, he helmed a series of ten short programmes collectively entitled "Boundaries of the knowable", dealing with subjects from both scientific and philosophical perspectives, ranging from the nature of consciousness, the nature of matter, space and time, the wave-particle duality of matter, the (alleged) existence of extra-terrestrial life and the question of "What caused the Big Bang?".