Four Oxford Dons have been acknowledged in the Queen’s Birthday Honours list in recognition of their service to science.
Professors Christopher Hood and Wendy James were made CBE, while OBEs were awarded to Professors Richard Darton and Jeremy Thomas.
After the publication of the official list on Saturday, a spokeswoman for the University told Cherwell: “The University takes pride in having so many academics who lead their fields, and many have been recognised over the years.”
Professor Darton, a senior research fellow at Keble who set up the Univeristy’s Chemical Engineering course in 1991, said the honour for services to Engineering is “slightly overwhelming.”
“Tackling the major issues of sustainable development will require enormous efforts and creativity, not least from engineers, so we appreciate this recognition and the encouragement it brings.”
Fellow of New College and the Centre for Ecology and Hydrology (NERC), Professor Jeremy Thomas said that coming to Oxford in 2007 had given his work “a further fillip”.
Thomas was “delighted” to be recognised for services to science within his area of special interest in conservation biology. In 2009 he was responsible for the restoration of the Large Blue Butterfly species to degraded landscapes across Europe.
Professor Wendy James CBE has worked on humanitarian assistance in Africa, as well as teaching in the Universities of Khartoum, Bergen and Aarhus.
Once Professor of Social Anthropology and a fellow at St Cross, Professor James said she was “elated and proud” to have been honoured for services to scholarship.
This is not her first prestigious award for academia, having already been inducted into the British Academy twelve years ago.
Professor Christopher Hood, whose research interests include the study of executive government, regulation and public-sector reform, was recognised for his services to social science.
Gladstone Professor of Government and fellow of All Souls, Professor Hood admitted to being “apprehensive” of accepting his newest title.
“What did I feel? Surprised. Flattered. A bit apprehensive. I wished my parents were still alive,” he commented. “It’s easy to get puffed up about these things and lose perspective.”
