Chemistry professor honoured with science diplomacy award
17 February 2026
Professor Sir Richard Catlow of Cardiff University and University College London has been recognised for his outstanding diplomatic efforts in the field of science with a highly prestigious award.
He has been awarded the AAAS David and Betty Hamburg Award for Science Diplomacy jointly with Professor Sir Martyn Poliakoff from the University of Nottingham, with whom he has worked with over many years to promote international collaboration in science.
It is the first time two UK scientists have won the award together.
“It’s a great honour to receive this award and especially pleasing when it’s together with a long-standing friend and colleague,” said Professor Catlow, an expert in Catalytic and Computational Chemistry at Cardiff University.
In 2016, Professor Catlow took over from Professor Poliakoff as Foreign Secretary of the Royal Society with the outgoing postholder offering to work with his successor. From there their collaboration grew.
“Martyn and I are both chemists and we interacted a lot during our back-to-back tenure of the role of Royal Society Foreign Secretary. During this period, I worked with other European Academies to make the case for UK membership of Horizon Europe, something I’m a huge advocate for.”
This kind of science diplomacy is important as it emphasises that science is global and that scientific collaboration can bridge nations and cultures.
Professor Catlow is a leading UK chemist who has pioneered work both in the UK and internationally over a 50-year research career.
Among his proudest achievements over that time, he lists his 30-year commitment to science capacity building in Africa and his work as co-President of the InterAcademy Partnership – a network of some 150 national, regional and global member academies, who work together to support the vital role of science in seeking evidence-based solutions to the world’s most challenging problems.
Sir Richard’s expertise lies in developing and applying computational techniques in conjunction with experiments to understand and predict the properties of complex materials and catalysts.
In 2020, his long-standing and wide-ranging contribution to the discipline was recognised when he was Knighted in the Queen's Birthday Honours list.
My advice to anyone hoping to pursue a career in STEM is to be committed and to have confidence. They should realise that scientific discovery and innovation will be essential in solving major global challenges and that this will require diversity of experience and opinion – which means we need to involve everyone.
Professor Deborah Kays, Head of Cardiff University’s School of Chemistry, added: “Over his long and illustrious career Professor Catlow’s scholarship in energy materials, catalysis, nanochemistry and surface chemistry have established him as a leading figure in developing our field.”
This award rightly recognised the tireless work Professor Catlow has carried out over and above his own research, to enable participation and collaboration here in Wales, across the UK and internationally – and especially among underrepresented communities. I want to offer my congratulations to Professor Catlow on behalf of everyone at Cardiff University on being recognised by the AAAS for these achievements.
Professors Catlow and Poliakoff will be recognised at the 2026 AAAS Annual Meeting, to be held on 12-14 February in Phoenix, Arizona, where they will be honoured with a tribute video and an award ceremony.
“This year’s award winners embody research excellence, service to their communities and leadership for the next generation of scientists,” said Sudip Parikh, CEO of AAAS and executive publisher of the Science family of journals.
“Their stellar example reminds us that we can build a vibrant future for science and technology.”
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