Honorary Professor of Chemistry awarded Royal Medal

Sir John Meurig Thomas, Honorary Professor in the School of Chemistry and Honorary Fellow of Cardiff University, has been awarded the prestigious 2016 Royal Medal for Physical Sciences by the Royal Society for his pioneering work in the field of catalytic chemistry.

Sir John’s research has had a major impact on green chemistry, clean technology and sustainability, particularly through his development of the concept of single-site heterogeneous catalysts. He is a former Director of the Royal Institution and was formerly Head of Physical Chemistry, University of Cambridge. He has published extensively, including a biography of Michael Faraday, one of the most influential British scientists in history (and himself a previous recipient of the Royal Medal). Sir John was knighted in 1991 for his services to chemistry and the popularization of science.

Speaking of his award, Sir John said: “I am extremely pleased and honoured by this award; part of the work that led to the award derives from research carried out with members of staff in the School of Chemistry at Cardiff University”.

Professor Rudolf Allemann, Distinguished Research Professor and Head of the School of Chemistry, added: “I would like to congratulate Sir John on this distinguished award on behalf of the School. Sir John has a long standing relationship with us and continues to contribute his valuable expertise and experience through his post as Honorary Professor.”

Three Royal Medals are awarded annually by HM The Queen on the recommendation of the Council of the Royal Society. The Royal Medals were founded by HM King George IV in 1825, and have been awarded to many world-famous scientists since that time, including John Dalton, Humphry Davy, Charles Darwin, J. J. Thomson and Francis Crick.