Thursday, 18 July 2019
Sir Martyn Poliakoff has been awarded the Royal Society’s prestigious Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture for his part in promoting science to a mass audience via the Periodic Table of Videos on YouTube.
The award is one of twenty four awards announced today by the Royal Society that recognise exceptional researchers who make outstanding contributions to science. The Michael Faraday Prize and Lecture is awarded annually to the scientist or engineer whose expertise in communicating scientific ideas in lay terms is exemplary. Sir Martyn joins an esteemed list of scientists who have received this prize which includes: Sir David Attenborough, Brian Cox and Robert Winston.
Sir Martyn is the lead presenter of the Periodic Table of Videos which started 11 years ago when scientists in the University of Nottingham’s School of Chemistry started working with filmmaker Brady Haran on their mission to document every single one of the 118 chemical elements in a fun, lively and often unconventional way.
International audience
Since then the videos have grown to attract a huge international audience with just over 1.2m subscribers currently and each video averaging around 205m views – and these figures just keep growing with around 400 new subscribers each day.
The videos are inspiring a new generation of young scientists to discover and explore chemistry and fans often make epic journeys to visit Martyn in Nottingham- most recently he has met fans from California and Mexico.
“I’ve always been passionate about communicating science in a way that is engaging and fun, so getting this award is a real honour and I am really looking forward to giving my lecture early next year. When we started the Periodic Table of Videos I could never have imagined that it would reach so many people. Several times a week, I receive letters and emails from fans saying the videos have inspired them to study science, which is just fantastic and the reason why we’ll carry on working with Brady to make the videos for as long as we can.”
Far-reaching contributions
Sir Venki Ramakrishnan, President of the Royal Society, said: “The Royal Society gives an array of medals and awards to scientists who have done exceptional, ground-breaking work. This year, it is again a pleasure to see these awards bestowed on scientists who have made such distinguished and far-reaching contributions in their fields. I congratulate and thank them for their efforts.”
Sir Martyn adds this honour to a growing list of accolades for communicating science, earlier this year he also received the G.N Flerov Prize from the Joint Institute of Nuclear Research in Dubna, Russia, for spreading awareness about chemistry and chemical elements. He was presented this award by esteemed nuclear Physicist Yuri Oganessian, the only living person with an element named after them. Yuri presented the 2019 Sir Jesse Boot lecture in Nottingham in March.
“This is a wonderful achievement for Sir Martyn Poliakoff, who goes above and beyond in his quest to spread awareness about science, inspiring a new generation. We are very proud of the astounding impact the Periodic Table of Videos has made and continues to make across the world.”
Story credits
More information is available from Sir Martyn Poliafoff on martyn.poliakoff@nottingham.ac.ukor Jane Icke Media Relations Manager for the Faculty of Science at the University of Nottingham, on +44 (0)115 951 5751 jane.icke@nottingham.ac.uk
Notes to editors:
About the University of Nottingham
Ranked 32 in Europe and 16th in the UK by the QS World University Rankings: Europe 2024, the University of Nottingham is a founding member of the Russell Group of research-intensive universities. Studying at the University of Nottingham is a life-changing experience, and we pride ourselves on unlocking the potential of our students. We have a pioneering spirit, expressed in the vision of our founder Sir Jesse Boot, which has seen us lead the way in establishing campuses in China and Malaysia - part of a globally connected network of education, research and industrial engagement.
Nottingham was crowned Sports University of the Year by The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2024 – the third time it has been given the honour since 2018 – and by the Daily Mail University Guide 2024.
The university is among the best universities in the UK for the strength of our research, positioned seventh for research power in the UK according to REF 2021. The birthplace of discoveries such as MRI and ibuprofen, our innovations transform lives and tackle global problems such as sustainable food supplies, ending modern slavery, developing greener transport, and reducing reliance on fossil fuels.
The university is a major employer and industry partner - locally and globally - and our graduates are the second most targeted by the UK's top employers, according to The Graduate Market in 2022 report by High Fliers Research.
We lead the Universities for Nottingham initiative, in partnership with Nottingham Trent University, a pioneering collaboration between the city’s two world-class institutions to improve levels of prosperity, opportunity, sustainability, health and wellbeing for residents in the city and region we are proud to call home.
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