Peter Fellgett earned his PhD from the University of Cambridge. The research he completed as a part of his thesis would later lead to his most well-known contribution to the field, “The Fellgett Advantage.” He moved to the Royal Observatory in Edinburgh before joining the University of Reading in 1964 as Professor of Cybernetics and Instrument Physics. He retired from the University in 1987, but continued to be active in the field until his death in 2008.

Fellgett was recognized for his work with OSA’s R.W. Wood Prize in 1977 “For his discovery of the multiplex advantage, which has led to the modern renaissance of Fourier-transform spectroscopy.” He was also a Fellow of the Royal Society.