Cavendish Professor of Physics the university regulations which allowed students who had not studied at Cambridge to receive a B.A. by submitting a thesis which was judged "of distinction as a record of original research." Among the students attracted by this change was future Cavendish Professor Ernest Rutherford. Whilst Thomson was Cavendish Professor, he discovered the electron and the existence of isotopes, and also fostered an atmosphere of friendliness and mutual helpfulness. Rutherford returned to Cambridge in 1918, and spent the last 19 years of his life there. This was around the time of the change from classical to modern physics, and Rutherford was
Durham University Department of Physics The department offers 3-year (bachelor's) undergraduate courses in physics and physics & astronomy, 4-year (master's) courses in physics, physics & astronomy and theoretical physics and also participates in joint honours and natural science programmes with other departments of the university. Taught and research based master's degrees and research based PhDs are available at postgraduate level. All research takes place within the department, whilst teaching also takes place in various locations around the university. The Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics is a professorship or chair in the Department of Physics at Durham University. The chair is named after Sir Peter Ogden.