A physicist at the University of St Andrews has received a prestigious award for his work in the field of optoelectronics.
Leading laser scientist Professor Wilson Sibbett was given the Royal Medal by the Duke of Edinburgh on Tuesday (August 11th) for his "outstanding specialist research contributions to laser physics and for his leadership in science".
As chairman of the Scottish Science Advisory Committee from 2002 to 2006, Professor Sibbett has been credited with raising the profile of science in Scotland, while his work in ultrafast optical science has resulted in the design and application of a variety of new lasers.
Receiving the award, he commented that the Royal Medal "recognises the importance of bridging between specialist research… and science policy and strategies that are much more interdisciplinary and broadly based".
Three Royal Medals are awarded annually in the UK - two for contributions to natural knowledge and one for contributions to applied sciences.