The Saving Oxford Medicine project team would like to congratulate Sir Walter Bodmer on his recent award of a Royal Society ‘Royal Medal’ for his contributions to science and genetics. This award, from the oldest and most prestigious scientific academy in the world is given annually in recognition of the recipients achievements and contributions in the physical, biological and applied sciences. Previous winners of the Medal have included the biochemist Frederick Sanger, molecular biologists Francis Crick and Max Perutz, and the epidemiologist Sir Richard Doll.

Sir Walter is also a previous winner of the Royal Society Michael Faraday Prize, which is awarded for communicating science to UK audiences. The letter below (from the Archive) is from Richard Doll, congratuling Walter Bodmer on this prize.

Letter to Sir Walter Bodmer from Sir Richard Doll, 27 Nov 1994

The Michael Faraday Prize was made in recognition of Bodmer’s role in the Public Understanding of Science enterprise, which, under the auspices of the Royal Society, sought to uncover the public’s awareness of science. This culminated in the influential 1985 publication The Public Understanding of Science, (or Bodmer Report), which made signinficant impact on the Government and the scientific community. Sir Walter became a fellow of the Royal Society in 1974.