The Beilby Medal and Prize recognises work of exceptional practical significance in chemical engineering, applied materials science, energy efficiency or a related field.
- The 2025 Beilby Medal and Prize will be administered by the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining (IOM3). Please visit the IOM3 website for more information.
2024 Winner
2024 Beilby Medal and Prize Winner
Professor Robert Hoye, University of Oxford
For pioneering, interdisciplinary contributions to the discovery, understanding and manufacture of defect-tolerant semiconductors for energy conversion and healthcare applications.
History of the prize
The Beilby Medal and Prize, awarded by the Royal Society of Chemistry, Society of Chemical Industry and the Institute of Materials, Minerals and Mining, is a memorial to Sir George Thomas Beilby, President of all three bodies, or their predecessors. Founded after his death in 1924, the first recipients of the Beilby Medal in 1930 were Guy Dunstan Bengough and Ulick Richardson Evans.
Beilby was born in 1850 and studied at Edinburgh University. He went on to join the Oakbank Oil Company in 1869, where he began to tackle problems of poor fuel economy. In collaboration with William Young, he improved the yield of oil and ammonia from shale by improving the fractional distillation process. Through his work in this field, Beilby was asked to contribute to the Royal Commission on Coal Supplies in 1903, and later was elected as Chairman of the newly established Fuel Research Board in 1917. He built the Fuel Research Station in East Greenwich to study different coals and problems such as low temperature carbonisation.
As well as contributing substantially to improving fuel economy, Beilby was also director of the Cassel Cyanide Company and Caster-Kellner Alkali Company, patented an improved method for producing hydrogen cyanide and made contributions to the field of metallurgy.
His contributions led to his election as a Fellow of the Royal Society in 1906, a knighthood in 1916, and the receipt of several honorary degrees.
Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world
This report is the result of an independent review of our recognition programmes. Our aim in commissioning this review was to ensure that our recognition portfolio continues to deliver the maximum impact for chemical scientists, chemistry and society.
Prizes
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