Awards and appointments

Professor Raman Prinja (UCL Physics & Astronomy) has received this year’s Ian Robson Lifetime Achievement Award from the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) for his outstanding contributions to public engagement, academic leadership, astronomy education and research.

Congratulations to members of UCL’s community who have been recognised in the New Year Honours 2026, including two academics, an economist and an engineer, who received Damehoods.

Dr Sue Dale Tunnicliffe has been awarded the honour for her Distinguished Service to Science Development in Antigua and Barbuda and the wider Commonwealth.

Five UCL academics have received prestigious European Union-funded grants to support research for the next five years in projects covering economics, criminal governance, and neuroscience.

An independent review launched by the UK’s health secretary and led by a UCL academic will examine how England’s health system currently delivers mental health, autism and ADHD services in order to help ensure children and adults can get the right support.

Eight early career researchers from across UCL have received fellowships from the Royal Society to support their research on subjects ranging from neurology to astrophysics.

A total of 70 UCL academics are featured in Clarivate’s annual ‘Highly Cited Researchers List’ for 2025, which recognises the most influential researchers in their fields.

Professor Sarah Tabrizi, Director of the UCL Huntington’s Disease Centre, has been awarded the British Neuroscience Association (BNA) Outstanding Contribution to Neuroscience Award for 2025, the association’s top annual prize.

Three UCL scientists have been awarded prestigious European Research Council (ERC) Synergy Grants 2025 to support research into how lung cancer spreads and how the brain controls instinctive behaviours.

Professor Sam Janes, currently Director of the Division of Medicine in the Faculty of Medical Sciences, has been announced as interim Dean of UCL’s Faculty of Population Health Sciences.

Professor Maxine Tran, a globally recognised kidney cancer scientist, is one of six new National Institute for Health and Care Research (NIHR) Research Professors, awarded to outstanding leaders in healthcare.

We are pleased to welcome five new members to UCL Council. Together they bring a wealth of experience across academia, law, public affairs, student leadership, and institutional governance.

Two UCL academics have been awarded prestigious 2025 Philip Leverhulme Prizes for their work in Economics and Languages and Literatures. 

Professor Bart De Strooper (UK Dementia Research Institute at UCL) has been awarded an honorary CBE for his services to dementia research in the UK and internationally.

Professor Philippe Aghion, former Professor of Economics at UCL, has been awarded The Sveriges Riksbank Prize in Economic Sciences in Memory of Alfred Nobel 2025.