The Neutron Scattering Group currently offers two prizes.
Don McKenzie Paul Thesis Prize
The Don McKenzie Paul Thesis Prize is awarded in recognition of a successfully examined PhD or DPhil thesis in which the use of neutrons plays a significant role in addressing a scientific challenge, or the thesis describes notable development of neutron instrumentation or techniques.
The award is coordinated by the Neutron Scattering Group, a joint Interest Group of the Institute of Physics and Royal Society of Chemistry. The prize is named after Don McKenzie Paul (1953-2019), a condensed matter scientist and professor at the University of Warwick known for his work in the area of Neutron Scattering.
Read further information on Don McKenzie Paul.
Eligibility
Nominations cannot be directly from the candidate, but can be from anyone else, including their supervisor or examiner. In order to be eligible the examiners must have approved any corrections and recommended the award of a PhD or DPhil, the thesis must have been submitted within the last 12/24 months of the call deadline, and the thesis awarding institution must be based in the United Kingdom or the Republic of Ireland.
2023 Don McKenzie Paul Thesis Prize nominations
Please complete the nomination form by 9am (GMT) Wednesday 1 March 2023. Please note that the form requires the details of a second nominator who will be sent an invitation to submit a supporting statement upon submission of the nomination form. Therefore please allow time for this statement to be provided when considering nominating.
The panel to judge the prize will be composed of the Neutron Scattering Group committee, with external experts asked to join the panel to contribute expertise not covered by the committee. Committee members with a potential conflict of interest (e.g. supervisor/former supervisor of the candidate, or from the same department as the candidate) will not be involved in assessing that candidate’s nomination.
- The panel will assess the impact of each candidate’s thesis, based on the evidence put forward by the nominators in terms of the following: Quality - outstanding level of the written thesis.
- Originality - stemming from new development or new use of neutrons.
- Impact/significance - perceived economic/cultural/societal/educational importance of the work carried out using neutrons or developing neutron instrumentation or techniques.
- Rigour/performance - outstanding level of development and performance of the student.
- Inter-disciplinarity - multiple neutron techniques utilised - and/or relation to other complementary techniques.
Metrics (journal impact factor and citations) will be of minor importance given the cross-disciplinary nature of the field of neutron work.
The panel will receive all completed nominations at the close of the call and will announce the winner of the Prize on 21 April 2023.
BTM Willis Prize
The BTM Willis Prize is awarded annually to an individual in recognition of a single outstanding piece of work, or of a longer-term coherent body of work, in the use of neutrons applied to a significant scientific challenge or, alternatively, in recognition of a major development in neutron instrumentation or techniques.
The award is coordinated by the Neutron Scattering Group, a joint Interest Group of the Institute of Physics and Royal Society of Chemistry. The prize is named in honour of the founding chairman of the Neutron Scattering Group, Professor B T M Willis.
Eligibility
The recipient of the prize will be a scientist, in the first 12 years of a research career following the award of a first degree (allowing for career breaks), who has made a substantial contribution to the development or reputation of neutron science in the UK or Ireland.
B T M Willis prize nominations
The nomination may be submitted by any nominator familiar with the work of the nominee and with the knowledge and permission of the nominee. Self-nominations are permitted. The names of two referees willing to provide supporting statements should be given.
The panel to judge the prize will comprise the Neutron Scattering Group committee and external experts asked to join the panel to contribute expertise not covered by the committee members. Committee members with a potential conflict of interest (e.g. supervisor or former supervisor of the candidate, or from the same department as the candidate) will not be involved in assessing that candidate’s nomination.
The panel will assess the impact of each candidate’s work in terms of its quality, originality, rigour and significance, based on the evidence put forward by the candidate and their referees. Metrics such as journal impact factor and citation data will be of minor importance given the cross-disciplinary nature of the field of neutron work.
The panel will receive all completed nominations at the close of the call and will announce the winner of the Prize.
Previous Winners
2022
Dr Alexander O’Malley, University of Bath
2021
Dr Joe Paddison, Oak Ridge National Laboratory
2020
Dr Emily Draper, University of Glasgow
2019
Dr Lucy Clark, University of Liverpool
2018
Dr Roger H. Johnson, University of Oxford
2017
Dr Andrew Seel, University College London
2016
Dr Katharina Edkins, Durham University
2015
Dr Aleksandra Dabkowska, King’s College London
2014
Dr Anita Zeidler, University of Bath
2013
Dr Sihai Yang, University of Nottingham
2012
Dr Sylvia Ellen McLain, University of Oxford
2011
Dr Robert Dalgliesh, ISIS, Rutherford Appleton Laboratory
2008
Dr Radu Coldea, University of Bristol
2006
Dr Giovanna Fragneto, Institute Laue-Langevin, Grenoble
2004
Dr Andrew Wills, University College London
2003
Dr Toby Perring, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source
2001
Dr Chick Wilson, ISIS Neutron and Muon Source