London Materials Society (LMS)

2026 June Wilson Award competition

The LMS is pleased to announce that the application for the 2026 June Wilson award is now open

This award was established through an endowment by the late Prof. Larry Hench (1938–2015) in memory of his wife, June Wilson, and was re-inaugurated in 2017. The prize of £750 will be awarded to a female student or early-career female scientist based at a research institution or organisation (commercial or non-profit) in the Greater London area, who has demonstrated excellence in any area of materials science and engineering.

The award honours the outstanding legacy of June Wilson, a pioneer in biomedical materials. Her contributions include some of the earliest investigations into the histopathology of materials, the development of techniques to understand bioactive material bonding to bone, the discovery of soft tissue bonding and the concept of osteoproduction and leading the first efforts to secure FDA approval for clinical use of bioactive glasses. Beyond her research, she mentored many students in both Florida and London during her 30-year career.

Eligibility criteria

- Applicants must be a female student or early-career researcher in any area of materials science and engineering.

• Early-career researchers are PhD students or post-doctoral researchers with up to 5 years of research experience, excluding career breaks, since the award of their PhD by the closing date of the application. They must NOT hold a permanent academic position (including proleptic appointment) in a university or not-for-profit research organisation.

- Applicants must be based at a research institution or organisation (commercial or non-profit) in the Greater London area.

Please apply by submitting the following documents:

- Name, job title (or PhD programme if currently a student), affiliation, and details of PhD award date (if applicable).

- A brief CV, including a list of publications

- An abstract (maximum 500 words) describing current and proposed future research

- A statement outlining why this Award is important for their work and how the prize would support and impact their research.

- Confirmation that you will be able to attend the Larry Hench lecture in November (date TBC) if awarded the prize.

Applications should be sent to [email protected] no later than Friday, 16 October 2026, 11:59 pm (BST).

The winner will be announced in November (date TBC) during the Larry Hench lecture. Attendance at the lecture is mandatory for the selected awardee, who will receive at least two weeks’ prior notice.