Harry Hindmarsh Atkinson (5 August 1929 – 30 December 2018) was a British physicist and science administrator.
[2][4] He then began doctoral studies at Cornell University in the United States in 1954, but moved to the University of Cambridge and the Atomic Energy Research Establishment (AERE) under Neville Mott 18 months later, completing his PhD in 1959.
Atkinson was appointed head of the Science Research Council astronomy and space division in 1972; his tenure saw Britain expand its research activity in astronomy, with new optical telescopes in Hawaii and the Canary Islands, and improvements to existing radio telescopes in England.
[2] Although semi-retiring in 1990, Atkinson continued as chief scientist of the British insurance industry's Loss Prevention Council.
In 2000, he chaired a task force investigating near-earth objects, and in 2006 he was honoured when an asteroid orbiting the Sun between Mars and Jupiter was named 5972 Harryatkinson by the International Astronomical Union.