Call Him Dr. May

2007

Brian May of Queen gets a degree from London's Imperial College. It's not one of those honorary degrees either - he earned a PhD in astrophysics. He would have gotten it sooner, but he was busy being a rock star.

A full 36 years after abandoning his studies to tour the world with Queen, Dr. Brian May hands in his 48,000 word thesis - at the age of 60. He re-registered in 2006 after being contacted by Michael Rowan-Robsinson - the Head of Astrophysics at Imperial College London - who had heard him speaking in interviews of his desire to complete his doctorate. Since graduating in 1970 with his bachelor's degree in physics at Imperial College London, May has remained fascinated by the stars. For many years he has appeared semi-regularly as a guest on the British astronomy TV show The Sky At Night. In 2006 he co-authored a book with the show's host, British astronomer Sir Patrick Moore, entitled Bang! – The Complete History of the Universe. May's work is the culmination of his original 1970-74 studies on the kinematics of the zodiacal dust cloud made from the island of Tenerife - which he studied over a period of 33 years. Following a tough three-hour oral examination (or viva voce) he is awarded a category two pass - meaning some further revisions are required - and he says he is keen to continue with further research in his specialist area.