Robert James "Sam" Berry (1934–2018) was a prominent British geneticist, naturalist, and Christian theorist whose work bridged the fields of evolutionary biology and theology. He spent decades in academia, initially working as a lecturer in genetics at The Royal Free Hospital School of Medicine in London before being appointed as a professor of genetics at University College London, where he taught from 1974 until 2000. Throughout his career, Berry held leadership roles in several major scientific organizations, serving as the president of the Linnean Society, the British Ecological Society, and the European Ecological Federation from 1983 to 1986. He was also a founding trustee of the National Museums Liverpool in 1986 and served on the Board of Governors of Monkton Combe School.
As an active Christian, Berry wrote and spoke extensively on the compatibility of religious faith and scientific inquiry, particularly advocating for theistic evolution. He served as a lay member of the Church of England's General Synod and as the president of Christians in Science. His intellectual contributions to the dialogue between science and religion were highlighted when he delivered the prestigious 1997–98 Gifford Lectures at the University of Glasgow, titled Gods, Genes, Greens and Everything, which explored the relationships between divinity, genetics, and environmental ethics.
