Awards and medals

Catherine Richards Prize

Catherine Richards worked for the Institute from 1970 until her death in 1993. She was Executive Secretary for the period 1987 to 1993. The prize fund was created from donations made in her memory. Two Catherine Richards Prizes may be awarded annually for the best articles in Mathematics Today in the preceding year. These include the Catherine Richards Young Writers prize which may be awarded if there is a suitable candidate (under the age of 35).

Christopher Zeeman Medal

The Christopher Zeeman Medal was created to recognise and acknowledge the contributions of mathematicians involved in promoting mathematics to the public and engaging with the public in mathematics in the UK. The medal was named in honour of Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman FRS, who presented the first award in 2008. The Christopher Zeeman Medal is awarded jointly by the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications and the London Mathematical Society every three years. Nominees should be mathematicians who have been actively involved in mathematics (including research, teaching and applications in any sector of employment).

David Crighton Medal

The David Crighton Medal was established by the Councils of the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications (IMA) and the London Mathematical Society (LMS) in 2002 to pay tribute to the memory of Professor David George Crighton FRS.

The medal is awarded every three years to an eminent mathematician for services both to mathematics and to the mathematical community. The medal winner is normally presented with the award at a joint meeting of the IMA and LMS, and will also be invited to give a lecture.

Previous winners of the Medal are Professor Keith Moffatt, FRS (2009), Professor Sir Christopher Zeeman, FRS (2006) and Professor Sir John Ball, FRS (2003).

IMA Gold Medal

Institute Gold Medals are awarded in recognition of outstanding contributions to mathematics and its applications over a period of years. Contributions that can be considered vary greatly and might the form of:

the building up of a research group of exceptional merit
notable contributions to the application of mathematical techniques
outstanding contributions to the improvement of the teaching of mathematics.

Leslie Fox Prize

Leslie Fox was a founder member of the Institute, the director of the Oxford University Computer Laboratory from 1957 – 1982, and a distinguished worker in numerical linear algebra and differential equations. The prize was established in 1985 with funds donated in his memory. Awards are made every two years for papers in numerical analysis given by persons under 31 on 1 January in year of the award. The adjudicators may award more than one first and second prizes.

Lighthill Thwaites Prize

Every two years, the Institute of Mathematics and its Applications in cooperation with the Institute’s Journal of Applied Mathematics and the British Applied Mathematics Colloquium (BAMC) will award the IMA Lighthill-Thwaites Prize in applied mathematics. The award will based on a submitted piece of work that describes an aspect of the candidate's original research and is suitable for presentation at the BAMC. This biennial prize has been established by the IMA, in 2010, in recognition of the achievement of its first two Presidents - Professors Sir James Lighthill and Sir Bryan Thwaites.