Sir Rex Edward RichardsFRS FRSC FBA (28 October 1922 – 15 July 2019) was a British scientist and academic. He served asvice-chancellor ofUniversity of Oxford^[2] and as a director of theLeverhulme Trust.

Richards was educated atColyton Grammar School, and became the first pupil from the school to attend the University of Oxford when he went up toSt John's College, Oxford in January 1942.^[3] He was awarded a first classBachelor of Arts degree in 1945 and aDoctor of Philosophy in 1948.

After graduating, Richards stayed at the university as aFellow inchemistry atLincoln College from 1947 to 1964. In 1964 he succeeded SirCyril Hinshelwood asDr Lee's Professor of Chemistry atExeter College.^[4] In 1969, he becameWarden ofMerton College.^[3][4] Richards held the post ofvice chancellor of the university from 1977 to 1981 and was Director ofIBM (UK) Ltd from 1978 to 1983 and Director of theLeverhulme Trust from 1984 to 1993. He was president of theRoyal Society of Chemistry for two years, and theRoyal Society awarded him theDavy Medal in 1976 and theRoyal Medal in 1986. He was knighted in 1977.^[3][4] He was alsoChancellor of theUniversity of Exeter from 1982 to October 1998.^[5] A painted portrait of Richards byAllan Ramsay hangs in the Senate and Council Chamber, Northcote House,University of Exeter,^[6] and another byBryan Organ inMerton College, Oxford.^[7]

Richards chaired numerous committees concerned with higher education, including an independent enquiry to investigate factors that might deter young physicians and dentists from choosing clinical academic careers.

Richards maintained an interest in the art world as well; he was a member of theNational Gallery Scientific Advisory Committee from 1978 to 2007 and its chairman from 1991 to 1993. In 1981, Richards became a founding member of theWorld Cultural Council.^[8] He was trustee of theTate Gallery from 1982 to 1988 and 1989–1993, of the National Gallery from 1982 to 1988 and 1989–1993, and of theHenry Moore Foundation from 1989 to 2002; he was Chairman of the Moore from 1994 to 2001. He was also Chairman of the British Postgraduate Medical Foundation from 1986 to 1993.^{[citation needed]}

The emperor of JapanNaruhito mentions him in his memoir, and when EmperorAkihito visited his son, then Prince Naruhito, atMerton College, Oxford, he was a very gracious warden and the emperor praised Sir Rex Richards. He was warden for only half his stay, but he was a big influence on him and his researches.

Richards's research work in thephysical and theoretical chemistry laboratory at Oxford was primarily concerned withnuclear magnetic resonance; the magnet from his 1956 prototype is in the collection of theScience Museum, London.. His early work, leading to the award of aDPhil. in 1948, was oninfrared spectroscopy and was supervised byHarold Warris Thompson.^[4]

Richards was elected a Fellow of theRoyal Society in 1959, a Fellow of theRoyal Society of Chemistry in 1970,^[3] and won theDavy Medal in 1976. His nomination for the Royal Society reads:^[9]

Distinguished for his work onnuclear magnetic resonance and its application to chemical problems. He has made outstanding contributions to the development of this technique, and was the first to apply it to the determination of unknown molecular structures. During recent years he has stimulated other work in the field by his own numerous applications. Earlier, he has done work of high quality ininfrared spectroscopy, thermo-chemistry andmagnetochemistry and has discovered important information about certainclathrate structures. He was awarded theCorday-Morgan Medal in 1954.

In 1948 Richards married Eva Vago; the couple had two daughters.^[3] Eva Richards died in 2009.^[10]

• Prototype nmr magnet (1956) in the collection of the Science Museum, London
• Permanent nmr magnet (1959) in the collection of the Science Museum, London
• Rex Richards on theHistory of Modern Biomedicine Research Group website

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