1925-

British Physiologist

Robert Geoffrey Edwards and Patrick Christopher Steptoe (1913-1988) pioneered in vitro fertilization (IVF), making the birth of the first "test-tube baby" possible in 1978. By quickly transferring the oocyte (the egg prior to maturation) to an optimal cultural medium, Edwards was able to replicate the conditions necessary for an egg and sperm to survive outside the womb.

Edwards was born on September 27, 1925, the son of Samuel and Margaret Edwards. He attended the University of Wales from 1948 to 1951, and the University of Edinburgh from 1951 to 1957. He then worked for a year as research fellow at the California Institute of Technology (Cal Tech) before joining the staff at the National Institute of Medical Research in Mill Hill, England, in 1958.

Edwards took a position at the University of Glasgow in 1962, but moved to Cambridge University the following year. In 1965 he served as visiting scientist at...