Nanotechnology expert honoured by Royal Society
Professor Jeremy Baumberg, of the School of Physics and Astronomy at the University of Southampton, has been named as the recipient of the Royal Society's prestigious Mullard Award 2004.
The award has been made to Professor Baumberg for his work in nanoscience and nanotechnology and for his contribution to the national prosperity of the UK through the University's spin-out company Mesophotonics Ltd in developing optical chips. He will receive his award from Paul Boateng MP, Chief Secretary to the Treasury on Monday 29 November at a Royal Society dinner.
The Mullard Award is given annually by the Council of the Royal Society to an individual who has an outstanding academic record in any area of natural science, engineering or technology, and whose work is currently making, or has the potential to make, a contribution to UK national prosperity. The Award is aimed at younger scientists, engineers and technologists and consists of a silver gilt medal, a prize of £2000 and a travel/conference grant of up to £1500.
Previous recipients of the Mullard Award include Lionel Pilkington who was honoured for his outstanding advances in the technology of glass manufacture.
Professor Baumberg says: "It is a huge honour to receive the Mullard Award. The Award is a testament to the strength of purpose and dedication of a number of strong teams whom I am privileged to work with on nano-construction."
Before taking up the post of Professor of Meso-/Nano-scale Science and Technology at Southampton in October 1998, Professor Baumberg explored novel ultrafast optoelectronics at the Hitachi Cambridge Laboratory within the University of Cambridge for four years. He has also held an IBM research fellowship at the University of California, Santa Barbara, and a research fellowship at Oxford.
He has a wide range of research interests spanning nanophotonics, quantum dots, ultrafast coherent control, self-assembling nanostructures, semiconductor microcavities and photonic crystals. His wide-ranging success was recognised by the 2000 Institute of Physics Charles Vernon Boys Medal, and the prestigious 2004 Mott Lectureship.
Progress in photonic nanostructures recently led to his involvement in the successful spin-out from the University of Southampton of a new company, Mesophotonics Limited. He also chairs the Southampton NanoMaterials Forum and is director of the Southampton NanoMaterials Rapid Prototyping Facility, which was opened last February by Minister for Science and Innovation Lord Sainsbury.
Notes for editors
- Nanotechnology is science measured on a scale of atoms and molecules. Techniques now being explored involve the manipulation and control of these tiny particles to create new structures with unique properties.
- Digital images of Professor Baumberg are available on request.
- The University of Southampton is a leading UK teaching and research institution with a global reputation for leading-edge research and scholarship. The University has around 20,000 students and nearly 5000 staff. Its annual turnover is in the region of £270 million.
- Mesophotonics Limited was founded in 2001 by Professor Greg Parker and a team of seven founders at the University of Southampton. Mesophotonics is commercializing breakthrough photonic crystal technology that allows light to be bent, routed and processed at sub-millimetre scale.
- The Royal Society is the independent scientific academy of the UK dedicated to promoting excellence in science. It plays an influential role in national and international science policy and supports developments in science engineering and technology in a wide range of ways.