The Caroline Herschel Medal celebrates the longstanding scientific cooperation between Germany and the United Kingdom. Administered by the Royal Astronomical Society (RAS) in collaboration with the German Astronomical Society (Astronomische Gesellschaft, AG), the medal will be given in alternate years to researchers based in the UK and Germany, with an accompanying prize fund of £10,000 which has been generously funded by the UK Government in honour of former Chancellor Angela Merkel.
Previous winners:
2022 Prof. Dr. Eva Grebel
2023 Prof. Gillian Wright
2024 Dr Linda J Tacconi
The Medal is awarded to an established researcher for their outstanding contribution to the field of Astrophysics (which may be for research or more broadly in a leadership capacity). All women may apply and we welcome self-nominations.
The nominations will be judged by a panel comprising representatives from the two Societies.
The nomination should include:
- A full CV (including a description of broader service contributions, such as teaching, mentoring activities, and services to the astronomy community)
- A shortlist of key refereed publications (up to five)
- The names of two referees
- The nomination (minimum length 300 words, maximum length 600 words. Nominations should be written in English). The nomination should address how the nominee fulfils the criteria of the Award. Successful nominations argue a strong case for why the nominee deserves the award over and above one of their peers working in the same area. Candidates should also describe their UK-German collaborations. It is helpful if the nomination is phrased in such a way that extracts from it can be used in the formal recommendation of the Committee. The nomination should also include the nominee's present career stage and the nominee's present post.
Please complete the form online here. The deadline for nominations is Monday, December 2 and the award ceremony is due to take place in London on Thursday, March 13, 2025.