W. H. & W. L. Bragg Prize

[Braggs]
William Lawrence Bragg (left) and William Henry Bragg. Credit: Smithsonian Institution Archives. Image # SIA2007-0340.

In 2017 the IUCr established a prize in the name of the father and son team William Henry and William Lawrence Bragg, who pioneered the scientific discipline of X-ray crystallography, and shared the Nobel Prize for Physics in 1915. W. L. Bragg was only 25 at that time and he remains the youngest Nobel Prize recipient in any scientific discipline.

Although most scientific awards are made to well-established scientists, the W. H. & W. L. Bragg Prize will be awarded to up to two promising early-career crystallographers. This is very much in line with the characters of the two Braggs, who actively encouraged young scientists, both women and men without discrimination, to pursue a career in crystallography. Their encouragement resulted in many young crystallographers achieving considerable distinction, including the Nobel Prize winners Dorothy Hodgkin, Max Perutz, John Kendrew, Francis Crick and James Watson.

The W. H. & W. L. Bragg Prize will be awarded at IUCr Congresses, the first in 2020 in Prague, Czech Republic. The awardee(s) will receive a certificate and a financial reward, and will be invited to make a presentation at the Congress on a topic related to the prize citation.

Research achievement relative to opportunity will define the eligibility of candidates for this award. For this purpose an “early-career researcher” is defined as one who received their PhD no more than 10 years before the closing date for nominations. Academic interruptions, including periods of parental leave, will be taken into account if clearly indicated in the letter of support accompanying the nomination. A current Curriculum Vitae and relevant details of the nominee’s research publications should also accompany the nomination. The Selection Committee is as follows:

Elena Boldyreva, Chair (Russia)

Susan Bourne (South Africa)

Kenneth Harris (UK)

Cora Lind (USA)

Mark Spackman (Australia)

Michiyoshi Tanaka (Japan)

Manfred Weiss (Germany)

More information about making a nomination for the First W. H. & W. L. Bragg Prize is available here.

5 June 2019

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