Despite sympathy for his physical frailty Hawking still seemed to cop plenty of verbal abuse. His successor might expect even more. I notice eminent scientists like Martin Rees don't shy away from controversy and that might be part of the revised job description. Among other things the incumbent might be called on to offer an opinion on nuclear power, climate change or population. Either that or deflect the question in a tactful way. Therefore media savvy could be as important a selection criterion as academic standing.

While having a politically sensitive female is a desirable objective, the prestige of the chair is based on being held by some of the greatest minds ever.

A PC appointee while pandering to society, would lose its cache in the theoretical physics world and thus its status. If Randall is regarded as one of the two or three best physicists in the world, I would applaud her appointment. Otherwise I would see it as the end of a great institution.

Shafi Goldwasser, perhaps. However, are her contributions as signicant as say, Murray Gell-Mann

Histotically, Ada Lovelace (Byron) was very significant to the work of Babbage and the use of "condition sets" in computing. Society would have protected Hypatia from the Christians, today.

Is required that the Chair basically extend on Newton. That is, could an entomologist whom found an astonishing mathematical relationship between insect parts be eligible? Else put, does the recipient need to be involved in a small cluster of mathematical disciplines, whilst other mathematicians are excluded?

"Perhaps now is the time for a woman to occupy this most venerable of scientific chairs."

This begs the question - WHY? The author has not cited one reason. Isn't this a meritocratic position?

If the chair has been 'monopolised' by men perhaps that is because the most meritorious person has been male. If a woman is best suited then go for it but none of this reverse discrimination please. It cheapens the currency.

what bennie said.

My personal feeling is that the elect-a-chick spin was just tagged onto this article concerning the possible successors to Dawkins as an afterthought. A rather shabby afterthought at that: designed merely to stir up controversy.

Cambridge did not gain the reputation it has, and the appointment discussed did not become the meritorious seat it is, by pandering to to external considerations such as PC.

The somewhat inflammatory statement about no female holding the chair in the history of Cambridge kinda gives it away, doesn't it? Along with the use of the idiosyncratic word "chick" in what is an otherwise fairly objectively written article employing Standard English?

A moments reflection by even the dullest mind will dredge up the recollection that no females were ever allowed to study at Cambridge till fairly recently and that, even the concessions made in the early twentieth century to allow one or two in, were accompanied by the codicil that, though they could sit the exams, they could not claim the degree.

Nope. Not gonna take the bait on this one.

romany, you're probably right (give or take replacing hawking by dawkins).

a more interesting question is why the chair in mathematics has to be offered to someone in theoretical physics. are they really saying that if wiles or perelman or tao or etc. wanted the job that they couldn't offer it to them?

BB - whoops! Now we know why the Lucasian hasn't been offered to this chick at least.

Its my understanding that the Chair is open to anyone in the FIELD of mathematics. This encompasses a very broad range of course and, at Cambridge at least, students are offered courses in quantum physics, special relativity,quantum mechanics, dynamics and protocols, quantum mechanics and a vast array of related subjects, as part of their mathematics degree.

The incumbent therefore could be a specialist in any of the fields that are studied within the broad parameters of a degree in mathematics. Physics in various forms are still part of the undergraduate course - it is only post graduate students who specialise.