28 Aug 2024
Professor Dame Molly Stevens awarded the Armourers and Brasiers Company Prize by The Royal Society
Award recognises Professor Dame Stevens’ achievements in pioneering nanomaterials for ultrasensitive disease diagnostics and advanced therapeutic delivery for the benefit of individuals and society at a global level
Professor Dame Molly Stevens DBE FREng FRS, John Black Professor of Bionanoscience and Royal Academy of Engineering Chair in Emerging Technologies, has been awarded the Armourers and Brasiers Company Prize by The Royal Society, a fellowship of many of the world’s most eminent scientists and the oldest scientific academy in existence.
The Society’s prestigious awards programme recognises and celebrates outstanding contributions to science from individuals and teams. The Armourers and Brasiers Company Prize, which was first awarded in 1985, is awarded biennially for excellence in ‘use-inspired’ research in functional or structural materials that is motivated or inspired by considerations of practical use and therefore of benefit to society. The Award recognises Professor Dame Stevens’ achievements in pioneering nanomaterials for ultrasensitive disease diagnostics and advanced therapeutic delivery for the benefit of individuals and society at a global level.
She says, “I am delighted to receive this award which recognises the dedication and creativity of my amazing team of researchers and students. Our wonderful interdisciplinary team is very motivated to keep working towards transformative healthcare technologies that are accessible to all.”
Professor Stevens’s research is centred on understanding and designing the interface between materials and biological systems to develop materials-based solutions for regenerative medicine, diagnostics, and therapeutics. This includes designing biomaterials that elicit tissue regeneration, creating controlled drug delivery systems to target disease sites and reduce systemic side effects, and developing ultrasensitive biosensors for early disease detection. A key aim is to develop flexible, effective, and more accessible tools that do not rely heavily on complex equipment or trained personnel, making them usable even in the most resource-limited settings.
A major driver for her work is to design innovative solutions that will be accessible to broad populations, by working with people in the field to maximise impact. For instance, Professor Stevens has worked with collaborators in South Africa on early diagnosis of tuberculosis and HIV, and in collaboration with the Bill and Melinda Gates Foundation to develop long-acting formulations for contraceptives and vaccines.
