University of Manchester receives rare royal award

The prestigious Regius Professorship was awarded for successes in Materials research


The University of Manchester has been awarded one of twelve prestigious Regius Professorship awards for its successful research in Materials Science, most notably the discovery and research of graphene. 

There have only been 14 of the royal honours awarded since 1901, and this year they have been given out in celebration of the Queen’s 90th birthday.

Previously they have been awarded in honour of the Diamond Jubilee in 2012 and the 200th Anniversary of Charles Darwin’s birth in 2009.

The Regius Professorship recognises outstanding research by universities in the UK, other winners including Imperial, Warwick and Oxford.

Professor Phil Withers, Director of the International Centre for Advanced Materials at Manchester, is the acceptant of the award, which comes with being titled Regius rather than Professor.

The honour was presented by the Minister for Constitutional Reform, John Penrose, after the recipients were selected by a panel of business and academic experts.

As well as the award, £250 million funding will be given to the Henry Royce Institute for Advanced Materials.