Dolby’s £85m to Cambridge

THE estate of American sound pioneer Ray Dolby has donated £85million to Cambridge University.

Mr Dolby, best known for his work on surround sound and noise reduction, was at Pembroke College from 1957 to 1961.

The £85million gift is the largest philanthropic donation ever made to UK science and will go towards redeveloping Cavendish Laboratory. It will be renamed the Ray Dolby Centre and is expected to open in 2022.

Mr Dolby made his fortune after founding Dolby Laboratories in 1965, which invented technologies including Dolby Surround. He died in 2013 at the age of 80.

His widow, Dagmar, said: ‘At Cambridge and at the Cavendish, he gained the formative education and insights that contributed greatly to his lifelong groundbreaking creativity.’