Four University of Oxford researchers have been recognised in the 2025 Royal Society Awards for their contributions to science. The Royal Society’s President, Sir Adrian Smith, stated: “The recipients of this year’s medals and awards have all made outstanding contributions to science and its applications for the benefit of humanity. They have done so by furthering our understanding of the processes that govern the world around us, changing the practices of academia to build a more robust and inclusive research environment, and engaging new audiences. Celebrating these diverse contributions is core to the Society’s mission and I offer my congratulations to all the 2025 recipients.”
Professor Sir Rory Collins from Oxford Population Health received the Buchanan Medal for his leadership in cardiovascular clinical trials and his role with UK Biobank. Professor Collins said: “I am delighted to receive the Buchanan Medal. This award recognises the importance of our cardiovascular clinical trials which have changed routine care worldwide and prevented many premature deaths. It also recognises the work of UK Biobank, a prospective study of 500,000 British men and women that enables scientists around the world to create better ways to diagnose, prevent and treat many different diseases.”
Collins is known for coordinating large-scale studies on chronic disease prevention and treatment. His work includes leading major trials that showed clot-dissolving treatments could reduce heart attack deaths by half, as well as research confirming that statin therapy reduces cardiovascular risk across a broad population. Since 2005, he has served as Principal Investigator and Chief Executive of UK Biobank, a project involving half a million participants across the UK. The resource supports health research globally, with over 20,000 researchers using it in 2024 alone.
Professor Kayla King from Oxford’s Department of Biology was awarded the Francis Crick Medal and Lecture for her work in evolutionary biology and genetics of infectious disease. Professor King said: “It is an immense privilege to have my research recognised by the Royal Society. I feel fortunate every day to be able to think about science and make new discoveries, together with my brilliant students and excellent colleagues. I am thrilled that my fields, evolutionary biology, ecology, and genetics of infectious disease, are being highlighted by this Award.”
King investigates host-pathogen interactions using laboratory experiments with animal models such as nematode worms along with bioinformatics approaches. Her research has shed light on why some pathogens are more virulent or contagious than others. She has demonstrated how climate change can influence pathogen virulence and shown that genetic diversity loss among hosts can drive disease spread.
Professor Philipp Kukura from Oxford’s Department of Chemistry received the Clifford Paterson Medal and Lecture for his development of mass photometry—a technique for measuring single biomolecules’ mass. Professor Kukura commented: “I am delighted to receive this honour, a recognition of the advances in life science research that are being enabled by breakthroughs in fundamental physical sciences.”
Kukura works at Oxford’s Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery where he develops optical methods to study biomolecular function. Mass photometry allows researchers to measure biomolecules individually in solution—helping reveal how biological processes operate normally or change during disease.
Professor Michael Wooldridge from Oxford’s Department of Computer Science was honoured with the Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture for his achievements as an AI researcher, educator, author, and commentator. Professor Wooldridge said: “I am stunned and beyond delighted to be recognised for this work by receiving the Faraday Prize and Lecture from the Royal Society. Just as I could never have imagined how far my field would come, so I could never have expected to be recognised in this way.”
Wooldridge has worked in artificial intelligence for over three decades; he is noted as one of the founders of multi-agent systems—AI programs designed to act autonomously or collaboratively on behalf of users. He has published extensively on AI topics—including two popular introductions—and frequently lectures publicly about AI developments.
Further details about these awards are available on the Royal Society website.