Richard Wilson obituary

My father, Richard Wilson, who has died aged 92, was an experimental particle physicist and humanitarian. As a professor of physics at Harvard University his work focused on the structure of the nucleon using Harvard's cyclotron and other accelerators around the world. When the university's cyclotron became obsolete, he helped adapt it for the treatment of cancerous tumours.

Dick held principled positions on humanitarian and environmental issues. He was an early supporter of Andrei Sakharov, the dissident Soviet physicist, believing that direct cultural and scientific contact was essential to prevent war.