Recent Press Releases
Head of Diamond Light Source receives Honorary CBE
IOP
PR46(07)
Wed, 28 November 2007
Professor Gerhard Materlik, Chief Executive of Diamond Light Source Ltd, received an honorary CBE from the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills for services to science on Monday November 26.
Professor Materlik, a Fellow of the Institute with a distinguished career in physics has been responsible for the delivery and operation of Diamond, the largest scientific facility to be built in the UK for 40 years. Professor Materlik provided the strategic vision necessary for the construction of Diamond and ensured that Diamond was delivered on-time and within budget in January 2007.
At Diamond, research work has already begun that could lead to drugs being available to prevent cancer cells from spreading; meteorites have been studied to understand the early solar system; ways to improve digital data storage through improved magnetic materials have been examined; and powerful X-rays have been used to investigate fragile ancient parchments.
Dr Robert Kirby-Harris, chief executive of the Institute of Physics, said, “Professor Materlik’s fundamental role in leading the Diamond project through to its successful opening and his significant contributions to science have been rightly recognised by this honorary CBE.”
John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, said, “Science in this country has benefited enormously from Professor Materlik’s talents and it gives me great pleasure to present him this honour.”
Professor Materlik’s strategic vision has been demonstrated throughout his career in synchrotron science which began at DESY, the German Electron Synchrotron, in 1974 and he has been involved in the development of a number of other synchrotron radiation facilities around the world such as the European Synchrotron Radiation Facility (ESRF) and Japan’s Spring-8 facility.
A distinguished scientist, he has also published around 200 scientific papers in the fields of diffraction, imaging and spectroscopy with x-rays, and synchrotron radiation source developments.
ENDS
Notes to editors:
1. The Institute of Physics is a scientific membership organisation devoted to increasing the understanding and application of physics. It has an extensive worldwide membership (currently over 34,000) and is a leading communicator of physics with all audiences from specialists through government to the general public. Its publishing company, Institute of Physics Publishing, is a world leader in scientific publishing and the electronic dissemination of physics. The Institute of Physics in Scotland has 2,500 members.
^ To the top ^