Sheffield scientists receive top Royal Society honour

Two scientists from the University of Sheffield have been elected as Fellows of the Royal Society, the highest possible accolade for British scientists. Professor Neil Hunter and Professor Maurice Skolnick follow in the footsteps of renowned figures, such as Sir Isaac Newton and Charles Darwin, as Fellows of the 350-year-old scientific academy. Professor Hunter, of the University´s Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology, has received the honour for his work into the way bacteria and plants make chlorophylls and use these green pigments to harvest the energy of sunlight, the first step in the process of photosynthesis. Life on earth depends on this ability of bacteria and plants to convert solar energy into food and oxygen. Better understanding of this process will help to secure food supplies for the world's population, and to develop new ways of harvesting solar energy to meet energy needs in a sustainable way. Professor Skolnick, from the University´s Department of Physics and Astronomy, has been recognised by the Society for his work into the way light interacts with electrons in carefully designed semiconductor nanostructures. These are currently used in new types of light emitting diodes and solid state lasers, like the ones in DVD players.