Image courtesy Department of Chemistry Photography
Professor Sir John Meurig Thomas, HonFREng, FRS, has been awarded the 2016 Royal Medal by the Royal Society.
The medal was awarded for his pioneering work within catalytic chemistry, in particular on single-site heterogeneous catalysts, which have had a major impact on green chemistry, clean technology and sustainability.
Three Royal Medals, also known as the Queen's Medals, are awarded annually by the Sovereign on the recommendation of the Council of the Society. The other two medallists are Professor Elizabeth Robertson FRS (University of Oxford) and Professor John Goodby FRS (University of York).
Sir John was Head of the Department of Physical Chemistry (then a separate department) from 1978 to 1986, and was Master of Peterhouse College from 1993 to 2002.
Previous University of Cambridge awardees include Max Perutz FRS, Francis Crick FRS and Frederick Sanger FRS.
The Royal Medals were founded by HM King George IV in 1825.