Professor Claudio Margulis was selected to present The Spiers Memorial Lecture in London in June. In 2020, as part of a series of changes introduced following an independent review of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s recognition programs, The Spiers Memorial Award evolved to the Spiers Memorial Lecture, to be given by the introductory lecturer at each Faraday Discussion meeting. Each lecturer receives a token of recognition.

"The Spiers Memorial Award was presented in recognition of an individual who had made an outstanding contribution to the field of a Faraday Discussion. Each Faraday Discussion meeting is opened by an introductory lecturer who sets the scene for the discussion, and up to two awards could be made to introductory lecturers in any given calendar year.

The award was named after the physical chemist and cofounder of the Faraday Society, Frederick Spiers. Spiers was born in London in 1875. He was educated in London, studying at the Central Foundation School, Finsbury Technical College and the Central Technical College. His research focused on physical chemistry, specifically contact electricity and standard cells. In 1902 Spiers helped found the Faraday Society to fuel discussions in physical chemistry, and was secretary and editor of the society.

During the First World War, Spiers founded the Nitrogen Products Committee within the Faraday Society. He also organized exhibitions of British Scientific Products in 1917 and 1918 for the British Science Guild. Spiers was secretary of the Institute of Physics in 1920, and was Member of the London University Club.

The award was established in 1929 by the Faraday Society. In 2021, the purposes of this Trust were amended, and remaining monies were combined with other generous bequests and donations to become part of the RSC Recognition Fund."

Information about this award was used from: https://www.rsc.org/prizes-funding/prizes/archives/spiers-memorial-award/ 

Professor Margulis has been featured in the UI CLAS October 2024 Newsletter!