Professor Philipp Kukura has today been announced as a Fellow of the Royal Society. He is elected alongside a group of over 90 scientists from the UK and around the world, eight of whom are from the University of Oxford.
Prof Kukura is acknowledged for transforming our ability to investigate biomolecules with light, primarily using light scattering. The outcome of a series of pioneering studies was his introduction of mass photometry, a methodology by which single biomolecules in solution can be mass-measured, by light, in a label-free manner.
Philipp has therefore successfully overturned existing dogma in the field to perform measurements that were previously considered intractable. Importantly, this discovery has prompted completely new avenues for studying biomolecular interactions, in both academic and industrial settings, with unprecedented time-resolution and sensitivity.
Prof Kukura said:
I am delighted to receive this honour, a recognition of the work enabled by the unique environment in the Chemistry Department, the Kavli Institute for Nanoscience Discovery and contributions from many national and international collaborators. Most importantly, it is an acknowledgment of the effort, curiosity and creativity of the students and postdocs that did and continue to do the work in the laboratory.
The Royal Society’s President, Sir Adrian Smith, praised the cohort of new Fellows for their ‘curiosity-driven research and innovation’ and the ‘diversity of backgrounds, perspectives and experiences’ they bring to the Society.
Sir Adrian added:
Their achievements represent the very best of scientific endeavour, from basic discovery to research with real-world impact across health, technology and policy. From tackling global health challenges to reimagining what AI can do for humanity, their work is a testament to the power of curiosity-driven research and innovation.
You can read more about Prof Kukura, and the other Oxford fellows, here.
