Man arrested on suspicion of murdering Oxford University professor

A man has been arrested on suspicion of murder following the discovery of an Oxford University professor's body.

Steven Rawlings, 50, a tutorial fellow in physics at St Peter's College, was found dead at a bungalow in Laurel Drive in the village of Southmoor, Oxfordshire, on Wednesday night.

Thames Valley police said a 49-year-old man was arrested at the scene on suspicion of murder and remains in custody.

Police were called to the property at 11.22pm on Wednesday following a report of a man being injured in an incident. Officers and paramedics attended but Rawlings was pronounced dead at the scene.

Detective Superintendent Rob Mason, from the major crime unit, said the investigation was still in its early stages, with a postmortem due to take place on Thursday night.

He added that officers were not looking for anyone else in connection with the incident. "It does appear that no one else was present at the address."

Mason said: "I would like to extend our condolences to the man's family and friends at this very difficult time.

"The formal identification has taken place, we can confirm the identity of the man as Professor Steven Rawlings, aged 50, of St Peter's College, Oxford.

"The family has requested that the media please respect their privacy at this very difficult time.

"We are liaising closely with Oxford University and it is apparent that he was well respected and liked within the college and colleagues and students have been devastated by the news."

Mark Damazer, master of St Peter's College, said in a statement: "We regret to report the death in Oxford on 11 January 2012 of Professor Steve Rawlings, official fellow and tutor in physics.

"He was a much liked and admired tutor and colleague within the college and will be greatly missed. We extend our deepest sympathy to his wife, Linda."

The vice-chancellor of Oxford University, Professor Andrew Hamilton, said in a statement: "The entire university community has been profoundly saddened and shocked by the tragic and untimely death of Professor Steve Rawlings.

"Our thoughts are with his family and friends."

Rawlings was one of the lead scientists in the international Square Kilometre Array (SKA) project – the largest radio telescope system in the world.

He did his undergraduate and doctoral studies at Cambridge University, where he also undertook post-doctoral research before moving to Oxford University. He was head of the sub-department of astrophysics between 2006 and 2010.