Five Oxford scientists honoured with Royal Society Awards

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society said: ‘The scope of scientific knowledge and experience in this year’s line-up is amazing. These outstanding researchers, individuals, and teams have contributed to our collective scientific endeavour and helped further our understanding of the world around us. I am proud to celebrate outstanding science and offer my congratulations to all the 2024 recipients of the Royal Society’s Medals and Awards.’

About the Oxford winners:

I am deeply honoured by this recognition of my contribution to high energy astrophysics over a period of fifty years. I am grateful to the many young researchers who have walked this path with me and made it such an enjoyable experience.  I particularly thank Peter Scheuer and Malcolm Haines, my late mentors, who in my early career opened my eyes to physics as a creative endeavour.

Professor Tony Bell, Department of Physics, Oxford University

Professor Tony Bell from Oxford University’s Physics Department, has been awarded the Rumford Medal for his seminal contributions to theoretical developments of cosmic ray acceleration and origins.

Professor Bell has made seminal contributions to our understanding of cosmic rays, the highest energy particles in the Universe. The most energetic cosmic rays have the energy of "a well-hit tennis ball" but the origins of these and how they are accelerated to such speeds was unclear. In the late 1970s, Professor Bell was one of a number of researchers who independently developed a theory of how these cosmic rays are accelerated by shock fronts. This states that the particles in cosmic rays gain energy when they cross shock waves produced by explosive events, such as exploding stars (supernovae).

"Shock acceleration" is now one of the foundation blocks of high energy astrophysics, explaining phenomena in various contexts throughout the Universe ranging from the solar wind, to supernova remnants, to active galaxies powered by black holes. Professor Bell went on to explore the plasma phenomena central to shock acceleration, showing how cosmic rays themselves generate the large magnetic field needed to be accelerated to high energies.

The Royal Medal is a high honour, as it is recognition by one’s peers, in our country. This award comes 24 years after the first major award my friend and collaborator Ravinder Maini and I received for our work on autoimmune diseases and testifies to the enduring recognition of our contributions.

Professor Sir Marc Feldmann, Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology, Oxford University

Professor Sir Marc Feldmann from the Kennedy Institute of Rheumatology at the University of Oxford has been jointly awarded the Royal Medal C (Applied) alongside Sir Ravinder Maini. This recognises their ground-breaking work on the treatment of a number of autoimmune diseases, which translated laboratory research into one of the biggest success stories in modern medicine and laid the groundwork for biologics to improve the quality of life for millions of people.

Professor Feldmann’s career has focused on developing new medicines to address common unmet needs. He played an instrumental role in proposing, and then proving, that inflammation is the underlying mechanism for many autoimmune diseases. Working with his collaborator Professor Ravinder Maini, he applied this insight to identify tumor necrosis factor (TNF) as a potent target for treating rheumatoid arthritis. The breakthrough anti-TNF therapies they subsequently developed demonstrated for the first time that monoclonal antibodies could successfully treat a severe disease, and have benefitted over 10 million patients since.

Professor Feldmann is currently collaborating with colleagues worldwide on various therapeutic projects. This includes work to leverage a recently discovered repair pathway to treat tissue damage (for instance following a heart attack), and to test treatments targeting the oxidative damage that underlies many neurodegenerative diseases. Another current focus is pandemic preparedness, with Professor Feldmann helping to develop broad-spectrum anti-viral drugs, which could be effective on almost all strains of viruses such as HIV, Covid and flu.

I am thrilled to receive the Davy medal for our contribution to fluorine chemistry for applications in medicine. Sir Humphry Davy demonstrated ‘the probable existence of fluorine as an analogue of chlorine’, so this specific recognition from my peers is very special to me. Fluorochemicals are essential in our daily life, and I am excited to see what developments unfold in the era of sustainability.

Professor Véronique Gouverneur, Department of Chemistry, Oxford University

Professor Véronique Gouverneur, from Oxford University’s Department of Chemistry, has been awarded the Davy Medal for her outstanding contributions to the field of fluorine chemistry.

Professor Gouverneur is a pioneer in the field of fluorine chemistry, an area of research that directly benefits pharmaceutical drug development, medicine and imaging. In particular, she has transformed fluorine-based radiochemistry for applications in Positron Emission Tomography (PET), a molecular imaging technology used for disease diagnosis and drug development programmes. Since natural fluoro-organic compounds are extremely rare, Professor Gouverneur has been instrumental in developing a ‘toolbox’ of (catalytic) reactions to generate structurally complex fluorine-substituted molecules. Many of the methods she developed are now routinely used, for instance to produce fluorine-labelled radiotracers. For diseases like cancer, this can facilitate personalised medicine as well as accelerate the discovery of new treatments. 

Recently, Professor Gouverneur launched a new programme to develop sustainable methods to produce fluorochemicals at scale. A key breakthrough was her demonstration that the naturally-occurring mineral fluorite (fluorspar) can be directly converted into complex fluorochemicals without the usual production of toxic and highly dangerous hydrogen fluoride.

Receiving this prize is a truly humbling experience when I look at past winners. It is recognition of the important role that mathematical biology is now playing both in mathematics and in the life sciences. I would like to thank my mentor J.D. Murray for introducing me to this field and the many talented colleagues, graduate students, and early career researchers I have been lucky enough to work with.

Professor Philip Maini, Mathematical Institute, Oxford University

Professor Philip Maini, from the Mathematical Institute at Oxford University, has been awarded the Sylvester Medal for his contributions to mathematical biology, especially the interdisciplinary modelling of biomedical phenomena and systems.

Professor Maini uses mathematical modelling to gain insights into biology and medicine. His main focus is pattern formation in early development, cell movement in wound healing, and the dynamics of cancer growth. Each of these seemingly quite different processes is driven by the spatiotemporal dynamics of cell movement and differentiation, which is determined by cells signalling and responding to interacting chemical and mechanical cues.

Professor Maini’s aim is to represent these spatiotemporal processes within a mathematical framework, before using mathematical techniques and numerical simulation to gain new insights. Besides leading to increased understanding of fundamental biology, this can suggest new approaches for treating diseases. A current focus is the process by which cancer cells promote the growth of blood vessels to supply them with oxygen. Cancer treatments that block this can be effective, but may also interfere with radiotherapy and chemotherapies. Professor Maini and his colleagues are investigating whether mathematical models can determine the optimal combinations of these different cancer treatments to control tumour growth.

I am delighted to receive this award which recognises the dedication and creativity of my amazing team of researchers and students. Our wonderful interdisciplinary team is very motivated to keep working towards transformative healthcare technologies that are accessible to all.

Professor Dame Molly Stevens, Department of Physiology, Anatomy & Genetics, and Kavli Institute for NanoScience Discovery, Oxford University

Professor Dame Molly Stevens, John Black Professor of Bionanoscience and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies at the University of Oxford, has been awarded Armourers and Brasiers Company Prize. This recognises her achievements in pioneering nanomaterials for ultrasensitive disease diagnostics and advanced therapeutic delivery for the benefit of individuals and society at a global level.

Professor Stevens’s research is centred on understanding and designing the interface between materials and biological systems to develop materials-based solutions for regenerative medicine, diagnostics, and therapeutics. This includes designing biomaterials that elicit tissue regeneration, creating controlled drug delivery systems to target disease sites and reduce systemic side effects, and developing ultrasensitive biosensors for early disease detection. A key aim is to develop flexible, effective, and more accessible tools that do not rely heavily on complex equipment or trained personnel, making them usable even in the most resource-limited settings. 

 A major driver for her work is to design innovative solutions that will be accessible to broad populations, by working with people in the field to maximise impact. For instance, Professor Stevens has worked with collaborators in South Africa on early diagnosis of tuberculosis and HIV, and in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop long-acting formulations for contraceptives and vaccines. 

Further information about the Awards can be found on the Royal Society website.