Four researchers from the University of Oxford have received recognition through this year’s Royal Society honours programme.
The awards acknowledge substantial achievements in scientific discovery, public engagement with science, and research culture within the United Kingdom and internationally.
Of the 27 accolades presented for the 2025-26 period, four went to academics based at Oxford.
The Royal Society’s president commented on the recipients’ achievements, noting that those honoured had made outstanding contributions to science and research culture.
The president observed that their work had deepened understanding of the natural world and would serve as inspiration for future generations of scientists.
Celebrating excellence in science was described as fundamental to the Society’s purpose, and congratulations were extended to all those receiving recognition in 2026.
Professor Laura Herz from Oxford’s Department of Physics was among the recipients, receiving the Rumford Medal for research examining how light behaves when it interacts with advanced semiconductor materials.
Professor Herz expressed that she felt deeply honoured to be selected for this award.
She noted that the recognition demonstrated how fundamental physics research could make meaningful progress toward addressing one of society’s most significant challenges: developing cost-effective and sustainable energy technologies.
She acknowledged that her work would not have been achievable without the creativity, commitment, and generosity of numerous talented students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators with whom she had worked over the years, and expressed sincere gratitude to them and to the Royal Society for this acknowledgment.
Professor Iain McCulloch, also from Oxford’s Department of Chemistry, was awarded the Hughes Medal for his research focused on energy-related topics.
He stated that receiving the Royal Society Hughes Prize represented a tremendous honour.
He identified clean energy supply as one of the most pressing global challenges of the current era, requiring novel technological approaches across industries that presently depend on fossil fuels.
He explained that his research depended upon having exceptional and patient collaborators and colleagues, as well as group members willing to extend their expertise into domains beyond their original training and established areas of comfort.
He described the award as reflecting the efforts of those individuals.
Professor Ketan Patel, who leads the MRC Weatherall Institute of Molecular Medicine, received the Buchanan Medal for his contributions to biomedical science.
He indicated that he felt deeply honoured to be chosen for this award, particularly given the calibre of the distinguished Oxford scientists who had previously been recipients.
He emphasised that the recognition equally belonged to the many outstanding students, postdoctoral researchers, and collaborators he had been fortunate to work alongside during his career.
He attributed the discoveries to those individuals’ dedication, creativity, and perseverance, and stated that he was enormously grateful to them.
The fourth Oxford-based honouree was Professor Charlotte Williams from the Department of Chemistry, who was selected to receive the Armourers and Brasiers Company Prize.