Dame Susan Jocelyn Bell Burnell Hon MRIA awarded the 2023 Cunningham Medal

The Cunningham Medal is the Academy’s premier award which is awarded every three years and dates back to 1796. The 2023 Cunningham Medal was awarded to Dame Jocelyn Bell Burnell, Hon MRIA, in recognition of her research, wide contribution to academia, public engagement and her international leadership in science.

She is currently Chancellor of the University of Dundee and was previously a Pro Vice Chancellor of Trinity College Dublin. She holds numerous Honorary Doctorates. She was elected as an Honorary Member of the Academy in 2012.

During her postgraduate study at Cambridge she made a major discovery: In November 1976 she discovered the first pulsars, previously unknown objects in the universe. Working at the Mullard Radio Astronomy Laboratory she discovered several pulsars over the next few months. Throughout her long and productive life, Jocelyn Bell Burnell has truly embodied the aims of the Royal Irish Academy in promoting academic excellence, independence, and academic freedom.

The presentation of the medal was made at a ceremony in the Royal Irish Academy on 28 February and can be watched back now.