Dillwyn Medal for Social Sciences
About the Dillwyn medal for Social Sciences
This medal celebrates significant contributions to the discipline of Social Sciences by early career individuals working in research or innovation.
Winners of this medal will demonstrate significant contributions in one or more of the following ways:
- Significant contribution to their discipline/area of work (relative to their career stage).
- Reach and impact of their work beyond the scope of their area/discipline.
- Notable outputs of their work.
- Any other notable achievements, e.g. innovation, major projects, knowledge transfer, dissemination of their work etc.
Open to individuals only.
We recognise that Early Career Researchers may be at very different career stages. We will consider nominations from a wide range of people. Our broad definition of an Early Career Researcher is someone who normally, at the time of the closing date for nominations, has less than ten years experience in research or relevant professional work (or full time equivalent). Nominations from individuals who are outside this time frame but who have taken a career break or break from research for any reason will also be considered.
Who were the Dillwyn family and why are they associated with our ‘Early Career Medals’?
The Dillwyn family’s association with Wales dates back to the 18th century and the arrival of the Abolitionist campaigner, William Dillwyn. His son, the talented botanist Lewis Weston Dillwyn, published several important scientific studies in addition to producing fine artistic pottery and porcelain. Lewis, who was a Fellow of the Royal Society, created at his home at Penllergare and later at Sketty Hall “a cultural climate in which all his children, boys and girls, could flourish, and could pursue their scientific and artistic interests without limitations of time and expense”. In 1848, he helped host the first British Association for the Advancement of Science to take place in Wales.
Lewis’s son, John Dillwyn Llewellyn excelled in a number of technological and academic fields including photography, botany and astronomy. Several members of the family used the Penllergare estate as a base for their various interests in science, astronomy, politics, botany, photography and philanthropy.
Unusually for the era, women also played a prominent role in science and business. These included Mary Dillwyn who was Wales’ first female photographer, Thereza Dillwyn Llewellyn an astronomer and photographer, and Amy Dillwyn, an early female industrialist and an iconoclastic novelist.
Read more about the Dillwyn family at the Dictionary of Welsh Biography.
Scrutiny Committee membership
Members of the scrutiny committee will be announced shortly.
Guidance and nomination forms
Past winners
2024: Dr Roxanna Dehaghani received the Dillwyn Medal 2024. She explores the vulnerabilities of accused people, with a focus on the pre-trial period.
2023: Dr Leighton Evans received the Dillwyn Medal 2023 for his work on how digital media mediates everyday experience and life.
2022: Dr Hayley Young for her research on foods that aid both mood and cognition.
2021: Dr. Annie Tubadji for her work on cultural bias, inequality and discrimination.
2020: Dr Rebecca Dimond for her work in the field of medical sociology.