Richard M. Thorne

Richard Mansergh Thorne (July 25, 1942 – July 12, 2019) was an American physicist and a distinguished professor in the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences at UCLA. He was known for his contributions to space plasma physics. He was a fellow of the American Geophysical Union.

Thorne graduated from Birmingham University in 1963 with a BS in mathematical physics. In 1968 he received a PhD in physics from MIT. The astronomer Alar Toomre was his advisor; his thesis was titled On the distribution of interstellar gas in the galaxy.

In 1968 Thorne joined the department of meteorology at UCLA (now the department of atmospheric and oceanic sciences). In 2000 he was appointed distinguished professor and elected a fellow of the American Geophysical Union. He retired in 2015.