Cardiff experts honoured by the Royal Society

The Royal Society, the UK's national academy of science, has today (22 July 2013) announced recipients of its awards, medals and prize lectures, including two leading researchers from Cardiff University.

Professor Graham Hutchings, FRS and Professor Peter Wells, CBE FRS FREng FMedSci FLSW have received the Royal Society awards in recognition of their research achievements.

Professor Hutchings, FRS FLSW (School of Chemistry and Director of the Cardiff Catalysis Institute) is awarded the Davy Medal for the discovery of catalysis by gold and for his seminal contributions to this new field of chemistry.

The Davy Medal is awarded annually "for an outstandingly important recent discovery in any branch of chemistry".  The medal is named after Humphry Davy FRS and was first awarded in 1877.

Professor Hutchings, FRS said: "It is a great honour to receive this recognition from the Royal Society for my work on gold catalysis.  It has been a great pleasure to me to have helped change perceptions about gold. It is not just a pretty metal it can be pretty incredibly useful too."

Professor Colin Riordan, Cardiff University's Vice-Chancellor said: "I congratulate both individuals on this outstanding achievement. The Royal Society medals are testament to the excellence Professor Hutchings and Professor Wells have achieved in their fields of expertise. It is also a resounding further endorsement of the strength of research at Cardiff University."

A Royal Medal for interdisciplinary sciences is awarded to Professor Wells FRS, (Cardiff School of Engineering) for pioneering the application of the physical and engineering sciences to the development of ultrasonics as a diagnostic and surgical tool which has revolutionised clinical practice.

Professor Wells, FRS said: "This is the greatest thrill in my scientific career and I hope that my Royal Medal will add lustre to Cardiff University. Interdisciplinary research has been part of my career from the very beginning. Throughout my career I have worked with health professionals in the National Health Service and with engineers and physicists."                                                  

Three Royal Medals, known also as The Queen's Medals, are awarded annually by the Sovereign upon the recommendation of the Council.