Dr William Hayes FInstP Hon MRIA

William Hayes FInstP Hon MRIA (1930–2025) was born in Ireland and educated at University College Dublin. He arrived at St John's in 1955 to read for a DPhil in Physics with Brebis Bleaney and continued as Official Fellow and Tutor in Physics (1960–87), Principal Bursar (1977–87) and finally as President (1987–2001). Amongst many other roles in the University, he was also Director and Head of the Clarendon Laboratory (1985–87).

St John's flourished under Bill's bursarship and presidency with new buildings (the Garden Quadrangle, Middle Common Room and development of 14 and 15 St Giles) and arrangements for research fellowships of many kinds, including the launch of the St John's Research Centre.

As a physicist, he specialised in spectroscopy, the idea that signals of different frequencies provide fundamental information about their source. He particularly studied imperfections in crystals and defects in solids, investigating the spectroscopic signatures of imperfections in alkali halides and semiconductors, using varied research techniques that included inelastic light scattering (Raman and Brillouin spectroscopy), magneto-optics, nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR), electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) and muon spin resonance (mu-SR).

A Requiem Mass will be held at the Oxford Oratory at 11.00 am on Tuesday 8 April. All are welcome. This will be followed by a private family burial.

There will be a reception after the funeral in St Giles House. If you wish to attend, please email presidents.pa@sjc.ox.ac.uk.

Memories of Bill can be shared via this online book of condolences.