Archive by category | Awards and prizes

US and UK scientists dominate the ‘Hong Kong Nobels’

US and UK scientists dominate the 'Hong Kong Nobels'

The Hong Kong-based Shaw Prize Foundation announced the winners of the annual Shaw Prize today. Three prizes, in astronomy, life science and medicine, and mathematical sciences, each carry US$1 million. It’s the 11th year the prizes were awarded.  Read more

UK Royal Society still trails US National Academy of Sciences in female members

UK Royal Society still trails US National Academy of Sciences in female members

The Royal Society — Britain’s national science academy — today announced it had elected 50 new fellows, who get to put the prestigious letters ‘FRS’ after their name. Among the array of top scientists this year are England’s chief medical officer Sally Davies, and climate economist Nicholas Stern. Stephen Chu – Nobel physics laureate and former US Energy Secretary – is one of 10 new foreign members.  Read more

US$21 million awarded to delighted scientists in glitzy ceremony

In a ceremony hosted by actor Kevin Spacey and which featured a live performance from singer Lana Del Ray, six biologists and two physicists took home a combined US$21 million last night at NASA’s Ames Research Center in Mountain View, California. It was the latest tranche of science mega-prizes sponsored by philanthropic billionaires.  Read more

Balzan prizes honour research on ‘spooky action at a distance’ and infectious bacteria

Balzan prizes honour research on 'spooky action at a distance' and infectious bacteria

A physicist and a bacteriologist, both French, have claimed two of this year’s Balzan prizes, each worth 750,000 Swiss francs (US$ 800,000), the Italo-Swiss International Balzan Prize Foundation announced today.  Read more