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��Lord Rees is an acclaimed astrophysicist. ̽��ֱ��remit of his work includes authoring and co-authoring more than 500 research papers and books. His investigations into cosmology and issues in scientific epistemology have redefined the ambit of our knowledge. He is currently Master of Trinity College, Cambridge.

Lord Rees said: “Some people might surmise that intellectual immersion in vast expanses of space and time would render cosmologists serene and uncaring about what happens next year, next week, or tomorrow. But, for me, the opposite is the case.

“My concerns are deepened by the realisation that, even in a perspective extending billions of years into the future, as well as into the past, this century may be a defining moment.”

HRH Prince Philip, the Duke of Edinburgh, will award the prize to Lord Rees in a private ceremony on Wednesday 1st June 2011 at Buckingham Palace.

̽��ֱ��Templeton Prize for Progress Toward Research or Discoveries about Spiritual Realities, is awarded annually to an individual who promotes and advances understanding of spiritual matters. ̽��ֱ��prize itself was created by the philanthropist and investor, Sir John Templeton in 1972.

Previous recipients include Professor John Barrow, of the Department of Applied Mathematics and Theoretical Physics at Cambridge ̽��ֱ��