Prestigious award for leading cosmologist from Durham University

Professor Carlos Frenk, CBE, FRS, founder and former director of Durham’s world-leading Institute for Computational Cosmology, receives the Royal Society’s Rumford Medal.

It is awarded for outstanding physics research and previous winners include famous names such as Michael Faraday and Louis Pasteur.

Professor Frenk is one of the originators of the “cold dark matter” theory for the formation of structure in the universe.

Working with scientists across the world he uses high-power supercomputers to build model universes, based on the known laws of physics.

The aim is to understand how the universe evolved from the simplicity of the Big Bang to today’s complex state full of myriad structures such as galaxies, stars and planets. This evolution is largely driven by the gravity of the still mysterious dark matter.

Professor Frenk

Professor Frenk, Ogden Professor of Fundamental Physics, at Durham University, said: “It is, of course, a tremendous honour to be awarded the Rumford Medal by the Royal Society.

“However, I do not view this award as an individual honour, but rather as a recognition of the collective contribution made by my many PhD students, postdoctoral students and other colleagues with whom I have worked closely over the years.

“Their hard work and inspiration lie behind the achievements that are being rewarded by the Rumford Medal.”

Galaxies

Professor Frenk and colleagues have established Durham as a leading international centre for supercomputer simulations of galaxies and cosmic structure.

Together with fellow Durham professors Adrian Jenkins and Tom Theuns he was named among the world’s best for the quality and influence of his work in the Clarivate Highly Cited Researchers 2020 list from the Web of Science Group.

This put Durham joint first in the UK, joint third in Europe and joint seventh in the world for the strength of its research in Space Science.

In 2020 he won the Institute of Physics’ Paul Dirac Medal and Prize and was named one of only 24 Clarivate 2020 Citation Laureates whose work is deemed to be “of Nobel class”.

He also holds the Royal Astronomical Society’s highest honour, the Gold Medal for Astronomy, whose previous recipients include Albert Einstein, Charles Babbage and Edwin Hubble.

In 2017 Professor Frenk received a CBE in The Queen’s Birthday Honours List for his work on the origins of the universe and for engaging the public in science.

His medal is one of a number of honours presented by the Royal Society including the award of the Copley Medal to Durham University honorary graduate Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell DBE, FRS for her work on the discovery of pulsars, one of the major astronomical advances of the 20th century.

Sir Adrian Smith, President of the Royal Society, said: “Through its medals and awards the Royal Society recognises those researchers and science communicators who have played a critical part in expanding our understanding of the world around us.

“From advancing vaccine development to catching the first glimpses of distant pulsars, these discoveries shape our societies, answer fundamental questions and open new avenues for exploration.

“On behalf of the Royal Society I congratulate each of our award winners and thank them for their work.”

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