Brian May, PHD Astrophycist

Brian Harold May, CBE (born 19 July 1947) is an English musician, singer, songwriter, astrophysicist and photographer. He is best known as the lead guitarist of the rock band Queen.

Following the death of Mercury in 1991, Queen were put on hiatus for several years but were eventually reconvened by May and Taylor for further performances featuring other vocalists. In 2005, a Planet Rock poll saw May voted the 7th greatest guitarist of all time.[5] He was ranked at No. 26 on Rolling Stone magazine's list of the "100 Greatest Guitarists of All Time".[6] In 2012, he was ranked the 2nd greatest guitarist in a Guitar World magazine readers poll.[7]

May was appointed a CBE by Queen Elizabeth II in 2005 for "services to the music industry and for charity work".[8] May earned a PhD in astrophysics from Imperial College London in 2007,[1][2] and was Chancellor of Liverpool John Moores University from 2008 to 2013.[9] He was a "science team collaborator" with NASA's New Horizons Pluto mission.[10][11] He is also a co-founder of the awareness campaign Asteroid Day.[12] Asteroid 52665 Brianmay was named after him. May is also an animal rights activist, campaigning against the hunting of foxes and the culling of badgers in the UK.[13]