Science Museum Group Awards Fellowships at 2026 Director's Annual Dinner
The 2026 Director's Annual Dinner was organized by the Science Museum Group, where Dr. Soumya Swaminathan, the former Chief Scientist at the WHO, served as the guest speaker. She highlighted the issue of extreme heat as a significant global health threat, revealing that in 2024-25, 4 billion individuals would experience an additional 30 days of extreme heat due to climate change. Sir Tim Laurence, Chair of Trustees, awarded Fellowships to Dame Kate Bingham, Dr. Richard Henderson, Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge, and Professor Sir Adrian Smith. New Fellows for 2026 included Ricardo Piquet, Dr. Hayaatun Sillem, Professor Ludmilla Jordanova, and Professor Charles Swanton. The event also commemorated the recent openings of the Power Hall at the Science and Industry Museum and the Space gallery at the Science Museum.
Key facts
- Dr. Soumya Swaminathan was guest speaker at the 2026 Science Museum Group Director's Annual Dinner.
- Swaminathan noted 4 billion people experienced at least 30 additional days of extreme heat in 2024-25 due to climate change.
- Sir Tim Laurence presented Fellowships at the dinner.
- Dame Kate Bingham received a Fellowship for her work on the UK COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce and the Injecting Hope exhibition.
- Dr. Richard Henderson received a Fellowship for developing cryo-electron microscopy.
- Julia King, Baroness Brown of Cambridge received a Fellowship for materials research and climate adaptation.
- Professor Sir Adrian Smith received a Fellowship for contributions to statistics and leadership roles.
- New 2026 Fellows include Ricardo Piquet, Dr. Hayaatun Sillem, Professor Ludmilla Jordanova, and Professor Charles Swanton.
Entities
Institutions
- Science Museum Group
- World Health Organisation
- UK Government's COVID-19 Vaccine Taskforce
- Royal Society
- Alan Turing Institute
- Diamond Light Source
- Museum of Tomorrow
- Royal Academy of Engineering
- Science and Industry Museum
- National Science and Media Museum
- Science Museum
- National Railway Museum
Locations
- Manchester
- Bradford
- London
- York
- United Kingdom
- China
- India
- Brazil