Matt Johnson, Reader in the Department of Molecular Biology and Biotechnology has been awarded the 2020 Wain Medal. This prestigious prize is awarded annually to an outstanding young scientist doing research in biochemistry and under the age of 40. The University of Kent established the annual medal and award in 1990 in memory of Professor Louis Wain CBE, FRS, who made ground-breaking discoveries in herbicides.
Professor Martin Warren, the chair of the award committee commented “We were hugely impressed with the pioneering research Matt has undertaken on some of the fundamental processes associated with photosynthesis. What Matt has achieved in 13 years since his PhD is truly exceptional and he is clearly a rising star in the field of Biochemistry.”
Responding to the news Matt said “I am delighted and honoured to be awarded the Wain medal, and would like to thank the selection committee and the Wain family for their nomination and support. I’d also like to thank members of my research group past and present for their hard work and support, without whom I couldn’t have achieved this accolade.”
In receiving the 2020 Wain Medal, Matt becomes the first UK scientist to have ever been awarded the three major Biochemistry prizes for the under 40’s adding this honour to the 2018 Biochemical Society Colworth Medal and the 2016 Society of Experimental Biology President’s Medal in Plant Science, a remarkable achievement.
Matt will deliver his prize lecture titled “Light for Life” to a diverse and large audience comprising scientists, school children, members of the public, students and Wain family members at the University of Kent in Canterbury in early 2021.
