Nobel hat-trick for Royal Society Fellows
08 October 2009Fellows of the Royal Society have won prizes in all three science categories of the Nobel Prize.
Dr Venkatraman Ramakrishnan FRS has been awarded The Nobel Prize in Chemistry 2009 today (7 October 2009). He joins Professor Elizabeth Blackburn FRS, who won the Nobel Prize in Physiology or Medicine 2009 on Monday and Professor Charles Kao CBE FRS FREng who was awarded the Nobel Prize in Physics for 2009 yesterday.
Commenting on the awards, Martin Rees, President of the Royal Society said:
“We are delighted to see Fellows of the Royal Society win Nobel Prizes in Physics, Chemistry and Medicine. These scientists are testament to the extraordinary range of expertise that makes up the fellowship. All three are leaders in their fields that have made truly groundbreaking discoveries and we congratulate them on this very prestigious recognition of their work.”
Dr Ramakrishnan, who was elected a Fellow in 2003, was awarded the prize "for studies of the structure and function of the ribosome".
Professor Kao elected to the fellowship in 1997, received his award "for groundbreaking achievements concerning the transmission of light in fibers for optical communication".
Professor Blackburn, elected in 1992, received her award for the discovery of "how chromosomes are protected by telomeres and the enzyme telomerase".
Fellows of the Royal Society are elected from the United Kingdom, Republic of Ireland and the Commonwealth on the basis of their contributions to science.