William Thomson, 1st Baron Kelvin

William Thomson (1824-1907), later Baron Kelvin of Largs, was a British scientist who developed the concept of absolute zero and devised a temperature scale based on it, which is now named in his honour. Born in Belfast,he moved with his family to Glasgow in 1831 when his father accepted a position at the University of Glasgow as a professor of mathematics. Thomson would, in turn, become a professor of natural philosophy (physics) at the same university. In addition to his pioneering work in the field of thermodynamics, Thomson was a major contributor to the laying of the first transatlantic telegraph cable.