Royal Society announces prestigious 2011 Wolfson Research Merit Awards

The Royal Society has announced the appointment of seven new Royal Society Wolfson Research Merit Award holders. The scientists will have taken up their awards at institutions across the UK by 1 May 2011.

Jointly funded by the Wolfson Foundation and the Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS), the scheme aims to provide universities with additional support to enable them to attract to this country or to retain respected scientists of outstanding achievement and potential.

The newly appointed award holders are working on a wide variety of projects including the evolutionary aspects of sex, the role of genetics in type 2 diabetes and advanced computer modelling to improve the management of heart disease.

The full list of appointments is as follows:
Professor Andrew Baker, University of Glasgow
Developing a novel virus for human gene therapy

Professor Mark Cannell, University of Bristol
Computing and seeing a new solution to problems in the heart

Professor David Haddleton, University of Warwick
Controlled polymerisation to new materials: Polymer therapeutics to oil recovery

Professor Andrew Mackenzie, University of St Andrews
Creating, understanding and exploiting novel quantum order in oxides

Professor A. William Rutherford, Imperial College London
Biological and artificial water photolysis

Professor Guy Rutter, Imperial College London
Dissecting the actions of T2D susceptibility genes on insulin secretion

Professor Nina Wedell, University of Exeter
Genomic conflict: sexual antagonism and selfish genetic elements

The Wolfson Foundation is a grant-making charity established in 1955. Funding is given to support excellence. More information is available from www.wolfson.org.uk