Professor Philip Allport was awarded the James Chadwick Medal and Prize, while Professor Michael Holynski received the James Joule Medal and Prize.
Lynne Long, who worked in the School of Physics and Astronomy at Birmingham for 15 years until her retirement in 2017, has also been recognised this year and is the recipient of the Phillips Award for distinguished service to the Institute of Physics.
Professor Allport is an international leader in the development of particle physics instrumentation. He was recognised in particular for his contributions to the establishment of radiation-hard silicon sensor technologies and their deployment in large experiments, such as the ATLAS experiment at the Large Hadron Collider.
Professor Holynski is active in the development of atom interferometers for practical and fundamental applications. He was recognised for his contributions to quantum sensing, where he has overcome technical challenges in underground mapping and demonstrated the detection of application-relevant targets.
Both researchers are members of the School of Physics and Astronomy. In the most recent (2021) Research Excellence Framework (REF) exercise, the School of Physics and Astronomy ranked first overall in the country (out of 44 Physics departments) on percentage of 4* (highest quality) activity.
Since retiring, Lynne has held various roles within the West Midlands branch of the IOP over twenty years, as their Birmingham Representative, Treasurer and most recently, as Chair for four years.
We’re extremely proud as a department to have our academics recognised by the IoP. These prizes bear testament to the pioneering work of Professor Allport, developing cutting-edge detectors for the huge experiments at CERN, and of Professor Holynski, demonstrating the real-world potential of new quantum technologies.
Professor Bill Chaplin, School of Physics and Astronomy
Head of School, Professor Bill Chaplin said: “We’re extremely proud as a department to have our academics recognised by the IoP. These prizes bear testament to the pioneering work of Professor Allport, developing cutting-edge detectors for the huge experiments at CERN, and of Professor Holynski, demonstrating the real-world potential of new quantum technologies.”
The Institute of Physics (IOP) is the professional body and learned society for physics, and the leading body for practising physicists, in the UK and Ireland. Its annual awards proudly reflect the wide variety of people, places, organisations and achievements that make physics such an exciting discipline.
The IOP awards celebrate physicists at every stage of their career; from those just starting out through to physicists at the peak of their careers, and those with a distinguished career behind them.
Congratulating this year’s Award winners, Institute of Physics President, Professor Sheila Rowan, said: “On behalf of the Institute of Physics, I warmly congratulate all of this year’s Award winners.
“Each and every one of them has made a significant and positive impact in their profession, whether as a researcher, teacher, industrialist, technician or apprentice.
“Recent events have underlined the absolute necessity to encourage and reward our scientists and those who teach and encourage future generations. We rely on their dedication and innovation to improve many aspects of the lives of individuals and of our wider society."
