Did you know that Brian May—the legendary Queen guitarist behind the unforgettable solo in Bohemian Rhapsody and the songwriter of classics like We Will Rock You, Who Wants to Live Forever and I Want It All—also has a PhD in astrophysics? Even more impressive, decades after becoming one of the world’s biggest rock stars, he helped assemble the first high-quality stereoscopic (3D) image of Pluto from photographs taken by NASA’s New Horizons spacecraft.
It sounds almost too incredible to be true. Yet Mr May’s story is proof that you don’t have to choose between being creative and being clever. Sometimes, the two go hand in hand.
For generations, people have been told they are either “artistic” or “scientific”—that creativity belongs on one side and logic on the other. Mr May’s remarkable life challenges that idea. He shows us that the same curious mind can write timeless songs, build a guitar by hand and help us better understand the universe.
A Curious Mind from the Start
Long before he became famous, Mr May was fascinated by both music and science.
Born in London in 1947, he developed a love of mathematics, physics and astronomy at an early age. As a teenager, he and his father, Harold, spent nearly two years building an electric guitar from scratch using bits of wood, old household materials and motorcycle parts. They called it the Red Special—the same guitar Mr May still plays on stage today.
The project wasn’t just about making music. It required careful planning, measuring, designing, testing and problem-solving, giving the young May an early appreciation of how engineering and creativity could work together.
While many teenagers dreamed of becoming rock stars, Mr May also dreamed of understanding the universe. He studied physics and mathematics at Imperial College London before beginning a PhD in astrophysics in 1970.
His research focused on the zodiacal dust cloud, a vast cloud of tiny dust particles orbiting the Sun. These particles scatter sunlight, creating the faint glow known as the zodiacal light, which can sometimes be seen just after sunset or before sunrise in very dark skies.
Then life took an unexpected turn.
When Queen Changed Everything
Queen was formed in 1970 by Mr May, Roger Taylor and Freddie Mercury. Bassist John Deacon joined the following year, completing the band’s classic line-up.
As Queen’s popularity exploded around the world, Mr May faced a difficult choice. He could continue working on his doctorate or devote himself fully to the band.
He chose music.
It wasn’t because he had stopped loving science. Rather, he recognised that opportunities like Queen were rare, while believing he might one day return to his research.
Over the next three decades, Queen became one of the most successful and influential rock bands in history. Songs such as Bohemian Rhapsody, We Will Rock You, Somebody to Love and Don’t Stop Me Now became global anthems. Mr May’s soaring guitar sound became one of the most recognisable in rock music.
Yet even while touring stadiums and recording hit albums, he remained deeply interested in science. The unfinished PhD was never forgotten.
Finishing What He Started
More than 30 years after putting his studies on hold, Mr May decided it was time to return to university.
In 2006, he went back to Imperial College London to complete the PhD he had left behind.
It wasn’t simply a matter of picking up where he had stopped. Astrophysics had changed enormously over three decades. Mr May had to catch up on years of new discoveries, review the latest research and complete his thesis to modern academic standards.
In 2007, at the age of 59, he successfully defended his doctoral thesis, A Survey of Radial Velocities in the Zodiacal Dust Cloud. The following year, he officially graduated with his PhD.
For many people, his achievement was a reminder that success doesn’t erase unfinished dreams—and it’s never too late to achieve them.
From the Stage to Pluto
Most people would have been happy to tick “earn a PhD” off their bucket list.
Brian May wasn’t finished.
A lifelong enthusiast of stereoscopic photography—the technique used to create three-dimensional images—May later collaborated with members of NASA’s New Horizons mission team.
When the spacecraft flew past Pluto in 2015, it sent back breathtaking photographs of the distant dwarf planet and its moon, Charon. Working alongside mission scientists, Mr May helped assemble the first high-quality stereoscopic image of Pluto from those photographs, allowing people to experience the distant world with an extraordinary sense of depth.
For someone who had spent years studying the heavens, it was a fitting way to combine science, technology and creativity. The same man who thrilled audiences with his guitar was now helping people see one of the Solar System’s most distant worlds in an entirely new way.
Music Is Maths
People often think musicians are “creative” while scientists and mathematicians are “logical”.
Modern research tells a different story.
Music is built on patterns. Rhythm depends on counting and timing. Melodies are formed from repeating sequences, while chords are based on mathematical relationships between sound frequencies. Even the structure of a song often relies on balance, symmetry and repetition.
When musicians perform, they constantly recognise patterns, predict what comes next and make split-second decisions without even realising it.
Researchers have found that musical training is associated with stronger skills in pattern recognition, memory, attention and spatial reasoning—abilities that are also important in mathematics and science. While learning music does not automatically make someone better at maths, the two subjects draw on many of the same mental processes.
Scientists have also moved away from the old belief that people are either “left-brained” or “right-brained”. Brain imaging shows that playing music activates networks across both hemispheres of the brain. Reading music, controlling movement, listening, remembering, solving problems and expressing emotion all happen at once.
In other words, music isn’t simply about creativity. It’s also about logic, structure and problem-solving.
Mr May’s life is a powerful reminder that analytical thinking and artistic expression are not opposites—they often work together.
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When Creativity Meets Logic
Mr May is one of the best-known examples of someone who excelled in both music and science, but he is far from the only one.
Perhaps the most famous is Albert Einstein. Although remembered as one of history’s greatest physicists, Einstein was also an accomplished violinist. His love of music is well documented, and many biographers have noted the important role it played in his thinking and creativity. Einstein himself once remarked, “If I were not a physicist, I would probably be a musician.”
Another brilliant scientist, Richard Feynman, was well known for playing the bongos. The Nobel Prize-winning physicist embraced curiosity, experimentation and playfulness throughout his life, seeing creativity as an important part of scientific discovery.
The connection also goes the other way. Tom Scholz, founder and guitarist of the rock band Boston, earned a master’s degree in mechanical engineering from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT). His engineering expertise helped him design recording equipment that became part of Boston’s distinctive sound.
More recently, Dexter Holland, lead singer of The Offspring, completed a PhD in molecular biology while continuing to record albums and tour the world.
These examples suggest that the skills needed for music and mathematics are not as different as many people think. Whether composing a melody, solving an equation or designing an experiment, the brain is searching for patterns, making connections and finding creative solutions.
One Life, Two Passions
Mr May’s story is remarkable not because he became both a rock star and an astrophysicist, but because he never believed he had to choose between them.
He stood on stage before millions of fans, performing some of the greatest songs in rock history. Years later, he stood before university examiners defending a scientific thesis. He has inspired people through music while also contributing to our understanding of the Solar System.
In a world that often encourages people to fit into a single category, Brian May reminds us that our interests don’t have to be limited.
You can love science and music. You can solve equations and write songs. You can spend one part of your life chasing one dream and return years later to finish another.
He never stopped asking questions. One question led him to build a guitar with his father. Another led him to the stars. By following both, he proved that curiosity has no boundaries—and that sometimes the most extraordinary lives are those that refuse to fit neatly into one box.
Featured Image Credit: Wikimedia/Creative Commons 2.0
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