Daresbury scientist wins top award

PROFESSOR John Simpson, head of the Science and Technology Facilities Council’s Nuclear Physics Group at Daresbury Laboratory, near Warrington, has been awarded the prestigious Rutherford Medal and Prize by the Institute of Physics (IOP) for his outstanding contributions to nuclear physics.
The Rutherford Medal and Prize is awarded every two years to an outstanding nuclear physicist, and Professor Simpson now joins the ranks of other distinguished recipients of this accolade, who include Nobel Prize winners Professor Peter Higgs, Sir John Cockcroft and Professors Aage and Niels Bohr.
Professor Simpson, who is also a visiting professor at the University of Liverpool, has received the award for his outstanding leadership in the development of new gamma ray detector technologies, which have transformed the field of nuclear spectroscopy.
He said: “I’m delighted and honoured to be recognised by the Institute of Physics with this award.  I feel very grateful to those I have worked with, at STFC and across the UK, and through international collaborations, all of which are playing their part in revolutionising what we understand about nuclear structure today.”
Professor Susan Smith, head of STFC’s Daresbury Laboratory, said: “I’m thrilled that Professor Simpson has been awarded the Rutherford Award and Prize by the Institute. This is well-deserved recognition of his outstanding scientific work that has contributed significantly to the health and vitality of world-leading nuclear physics research over the past four decades, and for his inspirational contributions that are revolutionising what we understand about nuclear structure today.”