The Sir Derek Barton Gold Medal recognises work in any area of organic chemistry which reflects the many diverse interests associated with Sir Derek.
- Run biennially
- The winner receives £3000, a medal and a certificate, presented at a special dinner and ceremony
- The winner will be chosen by the Barton Award Selection Panel and overseen by the Organic Division Awards Committee
2020 Winner
2020 Sir Derek Barton Gold Medal Winner
Professor Barry Trost, Stanford University
For continued wide ranging contributions to the development of new synthetic methods employing transition metal catalysts, and the application of these methods to the efficient (atom economic), asymmetric synthesis of complex targets of biological interest.
Guidelines for nominators
- Only RSC members can nominate for this prize.
- Nominees may NOT nominate themselves.
- Nominees can only be considered for one of our Research & Innovation Prizes in any given year. In a case where a nominee is nominated for more than one prize independently, RSC staff will ask the nominee which prize they would like to be considered for.
- Individuals named in any of the following roles during the nomination and judging period are not eligible to nominate or be nominated:
- Organic Division Award Committee members
- Division Presidents
- Awards Working Group members
- Trustees of the Royal Society of Chemistry
- The award is open to nominees based in the UK or internationally
- Nominees should be 60 or over at the closing date of nominations.
- When nominating previous RSC prize or award winners, please remember that a person cannot be awarded twice for substantially the same body of work.
To make a nomination, please use our online nominations system to submit the following information:
- Your name, contact details, and membership number (please contact the RSC Membership team if you do not know your membership details).
- Your nominee's name and contact details.
- An up to date CV for the nominee (no longer than one A4 side, 11pt text) which should include a summary of their education and career, and a maximum of 5 relevant publications or patents
- A short citation describing what the nominee should be awarded for. This must be no longer than 250 characters (including spaces) and no longer than one sentence
- A supporting statement (up to 750 words) addressing the selection criteria
- A statement (up to 100 words) describing how your nominee has contributed more broadly to the scientific community
- References are not required for this award and will not be accepted.
The RSC reserves the right to rescind any prize if there are reasonable grounds to do so. All nominators will be asked to confirm that, to the best of their knowledge, their nominee's professional standing is such that there is no confirmed or potential impediment to them receiving this prize. All winners will be asked to sign the RSC's Code of Conduct Declaration for Recognition.
Selection Criteria and Judging Panel
Our selection committees base their evaluations primarily on the overall quality of relevant contributions made by nominees and not on quantitative measures. The scientific content of any supporting publications, as described in the supporting statement, is much more important than publication metrics or the identity of the journal in which it is published.
The selection committee will consider the following aspects of nominations for this prize:
- Originality of research
- Impact of research
- Quality of publications and/or patents and/or software
- Innovation
- Professional standing
- Collaborations and teamwork
- Other indicators of esteem indicated by the nominator
In an instance where multiple nominees are judged equally meritorious in relation to the above criteria, judging panels have the flexibility to use information provided by the nominator on the nominee’s broader contribution to the chemistry community as an additional criterion.
Examples of relevant contributions could include, but are not limited to:
- Involvement with Royal Society of Chemistry member groups/networks
- Teaching/demonstrating
- Effective mentorship
- Service on boards, committees or panels
- Leadership in the scientific community
- Peer-reviewer
- Promotion of diversity and inclusion
- Advocacy for chemistry
- Public engagement and outreach
Sir Derek Barton Gold Medal Sub-Committee
- Pat Guiry, University College Dublin (Chair)
- Anthony Barrett, Imperial College London
- Stuart Conway, University of Oxford
- Sue Gibson, Imperial College London
- William Motherwell, University College London
- Samir Zard, CNRS-École Polytechnique
Organic Division Awards Committee
- Stuart Conway, University of Oxford (Chair)
- Sarah Skerratt, MSD
- Martin Swarbrick, CRUK Therapeutic Discovery Laboratories
- Alethea Tabor, University College London
- Mariola Tortosa, Universidad Autonoma de Madrid
History of the prize
This prize was established in 2001, to commemorate the life and work of Sir Derek Barton who died in 1998.
After the development of a new technique of conformational analysis, which gave rise to an entirely new branch of chemistry, and his work on the conformation of the steroid nucleus, he was awarded the Nobel Prize in Chemistry in 1969.
He was knighted in 1976 and, rather than facing retirement in the UK at 65, he moved to CNRS, Paris, and then to Texas A&M University, where he worked until the day of his death at age 80.
To celebrate Sir Derek's unique approach to his work, this prize is made to a chemist 60 years of age or older.
The prize is presented at a special dinner and ceremony held in London which, as specifically requested by Sir Derek in his bequest to the RSC, should include only the finest food and wines.
Re-thinking recognition: Science prizes for the modern world
This report is the result of an independent review of our recognition programmes. Our aim in commissioning this review was to ensure that our recognition portfolio continues to deliver the maximum impact for chemical scientists, chemistry and society.
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