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Two Durham scientists whose work helps us to understand the Universe and our own planet are being recognised by one of the UK's leading learned societies.
Emeritus Professor Ian Smail and Dr Andrew Valentine are being honoured by the Royal Astronomical Society.
Massive galaxies
Professor Smail, in our Centre for Extragalactic Astronomy, receives the Herschel Medal.
The award recognises his outstanding contribution to our understanding of the formation of massive galaxies in the early Universe.
Professor Smail was a leading member of a small team of researchers who discovered a previously unknown population of extreme starburst galaxies forming new stars at the highest rates ever seen.
These galaxies are thought to represent the earliest formation phase of the most massive and oldest galaxies seen in the Universe today.
I am delighted to accept the Royal Astronomical Society's Herschel Medal in recognition of the impact of the research I have undertaken with my collaborators over the past 30 years.
Earth's structure
Dr Valentine, an Associate Professor in our Department of Earth Sciences, is awarded the Harold Jeffreys Lectureship.
The lecture is given annually by an authoritative and engaging speaker on a suitable topic in geophysics.
Dr Valentine focusses on an area of mathematics called "inverse theory" and he has developed new theoretical and computational tools to answer questions about the Earth's structure.
He particularly looks at how inverse theory can be linked to machine learning and Artificial Intelligence.
Dr Valentine uses the tools he has devised to help address a wide range of questions about our planet's structure, processes and environment.
I am honoured to be invited to deliver the 2025 Harold Jeffreys Lecture. Jeffreys' work in mathematics, statistics and geophysics laid many of the foundations upon which my own research has been built, and I look forward to being able to highlight some of these connections.
