Professor Peter Thomas – Prof to his friends on the Hash
Peter Andrew Thomas (Prof) was born on 8th November 1961 and died on the 20th July 2024.
Nigel, David H, Mark Jones and I (David Evans) formed a Sunday running group many years ago, and Peter became a much-loved part of it. The photo was taken at Friston on 7th April 2024. It is still hard to believe that only a few short months later we would lose our great friend. Yet it is a joy to see him here, captured “looking good,” as we runners like to say. After so many years of running together, the memories with Peter are countless—far too many to record—but each one is treasured.
A link to some great photos of Prof: Prof Photos
University of Sussex Professor
Peter was Former Head of the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences and a Professor of Physics and Astronomy
Professor Peter Thomas was a distinguished physicist and astronomer whose career spanned more than three decades at the University of Sussex. He completed his PhD at the University of Cambridge, focusing on cooling flows and galaxy formation, before spending two years as a postdoctoral fellow at the Canadian Institute for Theoretical Astrophysics.
Peter joined Sussex, where he devoted 35 years to research, teaching, and leadership. Over the years he held many key roles, including Head of the Department of Physics and Astronomy, Director of Teaching and Learning in the School of Mathematical and Physical Sciences (MPS), and later Head of the MPS itself.
His research was centred on galaxies and their formation, encompassing semi-analytic models of galaxy evolution, large-scale simulations of galaxy formation, and studies of galaxy clusters. He published widely, authoring 174 academic papers, with his final one appearing as recently as January 2024.
Memorial Gate
A gate has been installed on Telescombe Tye by The Monday Group in memory of Pete “Prof” Thomas who passed away in July 2024. The What three words location is: (shrugging.pastime.polished)
Memorial Donations
A donation has been made to The Monday Group who maintain footpaths in East and West Sussex.
