Bakerian Medal and Lecture

Professor Doughtery with student at Imperial College London JUICE lab

Professor Dougherty with colleague in lab (Credit: Imperial College London)

Bakerian Medal and Lecture winner 2024

Professor Michele Dougherty (Credit: Thomas Angus)

The Bakerian Medal and Lecture 2024 is awarded to Professor Michele Dougherty CBE FRS for her scientific leadership of the Cassini magnetic field instrument at Saturn, seminal research findings on potential life support on Enceladus and leadership of forthcoming missions to probe Jupiter’s icy moons.

The award

The Bakerian Medal and Lecture is the premier lecture in physical sciences. The lectureship was established through a bequest by Henry Baker FRS (PDF) of £100 for 'an oration or discourse 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 medal is of silver gilt, is awarded annually and is accompanied by a gift of £10,000.

Eligibility

The Bakerian medal and lecture is open to international citizens. It is restricted to senior scientists and nominations will remain valid and shall be considered by the award selection committee throughout three nomination cycles. Teams or groups may now be nominated for this award.

Nominations

Nominations for this award will open in November 2023.

Past winners

Professor Andrew Zisserman FRS was awarded Bakerian Medal in 2023 for research on computational theory and commercial systems for geometrical analysis of images, and for being a pioneer and leading scientist in machine learning for vision, especially image recognition.

Professor Michelle Simmons FRS was awarded the Bakerian Medal in 2022 for seminal contributions to our understanding of nature at the atomic-scale by creating a sequence of world-first quantum electronic devices in which individual atoms control device behaviour.

Professor Victoria Kaspi CC FRS was awarded the Bakerian Medal in 2021 and presented her lecture Fast Radio Bursts.

Sir James Hough OBE FRS was awarded the Bakerian Medal in 2020 and presented his lecture Ripples from the Dark Side of the Universe – a bright future ahead.

See full list of all past winners of the Bakerian Medal and Lecture