Colin Pillinger est né le 9 mai 1943 à Angleterre, Royaume-Uni. Il était marié à Judith Mary Hunter. Il est mort le 7 mai 2014 à Cambridgeshire, Angleterre, Royaume-Uni.
He was awarded the CBE (Commander of the Order of the British Empire) in the 2003 Queen's Birthday Honours List for his services to Higher Education and to Science.