The University of Nottingham's Professor Sir Jonathan Van-Tam is being honoured with an award from the prestigious Royal Society for his work during the coronavirus pandemic. The professor has described the award as a "huge honour" after having also been knighted and given the Freedom of the Borough award for his home town of Boston in Lincolnshire.
Professor Van-Tam serves as the Pro-Vice Chancellor for the Faculty of Medicine and Sciences at Nottingham, but rose to national attention for his work as the UK Deputy Chief Medical Officer during the pandemic. His unique communication style during the regular Downing Street press conferences are among the reasons why the Royal Society has chosen to honour Professor Van-Tam.
The Royal Society was founded in the 17th century and serves as the UK's independent scientific academy, holding the title of the world's oldest scientific academy in continuous existence. Professor Van-Tam will be receiving the society's Attenborough Award and Lecture, awarded annually for outstanding public engagement in science.
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Professor Van-Tam said: "I feel very humbled to have been chosen by the society because so many UK scientists do really great work making science accessible to the public. This is quite simply a huge honour.
"I am passionate about people from all walks of life and backgrounds being able to engage with science in a way that meets their needs and allows them in turn to benefit from science discoveries in their daily lives. There is no better example than the Covid-19 vaccines which have literally allowed our society to re-open after a devastating pandemic. But it is always our job as scientists to meet the public at their point of need and understanding."
Professor Van-Tam joined the executive team at the University of Nottingham after stepping back from his government role in the spring. His other work whilst in government included responses to the Novichok attacks in Salisbury and domestic outbreaks of MERS and Monkeypox.
Vice-Chancellor of the University of Nottingham, Professor Shearer West, said: "This award is richly deserved and we are incredibly proud of the vital role that Professor Van-Tam played in leading the response to the Covid-19 pandemic. Professor Van-Tam epitomises excellence in the public communication of science in everything that he does, particularly through the numerous public engagement activities that he generously devotes time to in addition to his academic and leadership commitments at Nottingham.
"He is truly gifted in his ability to explain complex scientific and public health ideas in an accessible and engaging way and during his time as Deputy Chief Medical Officer, the public benefitted greatly from this talent."
The Attenborough award is named after Sir David Attenborough, an honorary fellow of the Royal Society, with the medal taking the form of a silver gilt medal and being accompanied by a gift of £2,500. Professor Van-Tam will also be invited to deliver a prize lecture at a future date yet to be set.
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