Scientists honoured by Royal Society

The outstanding achievements of three UCL scientists have been recognised by The Royal Society, the UK's national Academy of science, in this year's Awards and Prizes announcement. Professor Ivan Parkin (UCL Chemistry) has been awarded the Armourers and Brasiers' Prize for his exceptional work into the development and commercialisation of inorganic-oxide self-cleaning coatings for windows and anti-microbial coatings to combat hospital acquired infections. Professor Parkin's research focuses on the preparation and characterisation of new materials, particularly aspects of composition and microstructure. His most recent project is a collaborative venture between engineers, physicists, chemists, biomechanics and orthopaedic experts at UCL to create a wearable assistive material that is smart, can be configured for the user and can give any level of support for any area of the body whilst still being able to be worn invisibly under clothes, giving the wearer total freedom of movement. The Armourers and Brasiers' Prize is awarded for excellence in basic research in functional or structural materials where the research is clearly motivated by use of these materials. Professor Rachel McKendry (UCL London Centre for Nanotechnology) has won the Rosalind Franklin Award for her scientific achievement, her suitability as a role model and for her exciting proposal to launch a national competition to create mobile phone 'apps' to inspire women to become leaders in science, technology, engineering or mathematics (STEM).