Stephen Hawking Stephen Hawking at NASA, 1980s Born Stephen William Hawking 8 January 1942 (1942-01-08) (age 69) Oxford, England Residence England Nationality British Fields Applied mathematics Theoretical physics Cosmology Institutions University of Cambridge California Institute of Technology Perimeter Institute for Theoretical Physics Alma mater University of Oxford University of Cambridge Doctoral advisor Dennis Sciama Other academic advisors Robert Berman Doctoral students Bruce Allen Raphael Bousso Fay Dowker Malcolm Perry Bernard Carr Gary Gibbons Harvey Reall Don Page Tim Prestidge Raymond Laflamme Julian Luttrell Known for Black holes Theoretical cosmology Quantum gravity Hawking radiation Influences Dikran Tahta Notable awards Wolf Prize (1988) Prince of Asturias Award (1989) Copley Medal (2006) Presidential Medal of Freedom (2009) Spouse Jane Hawking Stephen William Hawking, CH, CBE, FRS, FRSA (born 8 January 1942) is an English theoretical physicist and cosmologist, whose scientific books and public appearances have made him an academic celebrity. He is an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Arts, a lifetime member of the Pontifical Academy of Sciences, and in 2009 was awarded the Presidential Medal of Freedom, the highest civilian award in the United States..