UK Research and Innovation (UKRI) CEO Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser has been awarded the prestigious Croonian Medal by the Royal Society.
The Croonian Medal and Lecture is given by invitation and is the society’s flagship biological prize.
The award is in recognition of Professor Leyser’s central role in two of the most important discoveries regarding the nature and perception of plant hormones, and for her contributions to gender equality in science.
Exciting times in the biological sciences
UKRI Chief Executive Professor Dame Ottoline Leyser said:
This is a huge honour. Looking back at the list of past winners, it is truly humbling to be counted among them.
I am deeply grateful for the opportunities I have had, living through one of the most exciting times in the biological sciences, and for all the inspirational and dedicated people with whom I have had the privilege to work over the years.
Professor Leyser is Regius Professor of Botany at the University of Cambridge. Her research uses the control of shoot branching in Arabidopsis to understand plant hormone action in developmental plasticity, which is an excellent model system for understanding distributed decision making in plants.
Royal Society awards and medals
The Royal Society awards and medals are awarded annually to celebrate exceptional researchers and outstanding contributions to science across a wide range of disciplines.
Other winners include the team behind the Oxford-AstraZeneca COVID-19 vaccine, who received the Royal Society’s Copley Medal, the world’s oldest scientific prize, for their efforts in developing the vaccine at pace.
The full list of 2022 winners and their award citation can be found on the Royal Society’s website.
Top image: Credit: UKRI