The Bakerian Lecture is delivered annually at the Royal Society in London and is accompanied by a medal and a gift of £1,000.
The lectureship was established through a bequest by Henry Baker FRS (PDF) of £100 for an oration or discourse which was to be spoken or read yearly by one of the Fellows of the Society “on such part of natural history or experimental philosophy, at such time and in such manner as the President and Council of the Society for the time being shall please to order and appoint”. The lecture series began in 1775.
The award is open to citizens of a Commonwealth country or of the Irish Republic or those who have been ordinarily resident and working in a Commonwealth country or in the Irish Republic for a minimum of three years immediately prior to being proposed.
The recipient is chosen by the Council of the Royal Society on the recommendation of the Physical Sciences Awards Committee. Nominations are valid for five years after which the candidate cannot be re-nominated until a year after the nomination has expired.
Nominations
The award winner will be announced in the summer of 2012 and the next call for nominations will open on 30 November 2012.