This is an archive page

Bulletin

Sussex honours double gold-medal winner

A Nobel Prize-winner has doubled his gold-medal tally – with a University of Sussex gold medal to add to his Nobel medal.

Leggett gold medalThe Vice-Chancellor, Prof Michael Farthing (left), presented a gold medal to Prof Sir Anthony Leggett (second from right) during an alumni reception in New York. Also pictured are Becky Anderson, the keynote speaker at the reception, and Jonathan Klein.

Anthony leggett with gold medalNobel Prize-winner Professor Sir Anthony Leggett was presented with a University of Sussex gold medal to add to his Nobel medal.

The medal was presented in New York on 1 May to Nobel Prize-winner Professor Sir Anthony Leggett for his world-leading contribution to physics.

Sir Anthony, who worked at Sussex from 1967-83 and is now based at the University of Illinois, was awarded a share of the 2003 Nobel Prize for Physics, for his work at Sussex on the theory of superfluids.

Sir Anthony became a Lecturer in Physics at Sussex in 1967. In 1971 he was promoted to Reader, before becoming Professor in 1978. “Sussex gave me the freedom to do the research which in turn led to the Nobel Prize,” he says.

The decision to award gold medals to past Sussex students and academics who have made a global impact in their professional field was made as part of the University’s 50th -anniversary celebrations in 2011-12.

Eight leading writers, artists, thinkers and scientists were selected to receive the medals, which were designed by architect Anthony Blee – who worked with Sir Basil Spence on the original plans for the University campus – and crafted by Spink.

Four of the medals were previously presented at the University’s 50th-anniversary commemoration dinner in 2012 – to Sussex alumni Ian McEwan (Booker Prize-winning novelist), Jeremy Deller (Turner Prize-winning artist) and Festus Mogae (former President of Botswana), as well as Lord (Asa) Briggs (distinguished historian and former Vice-Chancellor of Sussex).

A further three medals were awarded in 2013 to Nobel Prize-winners Professor Sir Harry Kroto and Sir Paul Nurse – both of whom carried out ground-breaking research during their academic careers at Sussex – and to Emeritus Professor Margaret Boden, a world authority on artificial intelligence and creativity.

The Vice-Chancellor, Professor Michael Farthing, said: “We are extremely proud to be associated with this group of individuals, whose remarkable achievements are recognised the world over, and to be able to bestow this honour upon them.”

Sir Anthony received his gold medal during a special alumni reception on the 31st floor of one of New York’s landmark buildings, 14 Wall Street.

The keynote speaker for the evening was Sussex alumna Becky Anderson, who studied Economics and French at Sussex in the mid 1980s and is now one of CNN International’s highest-profile anchors, hosting the network’s flagship news and current affairs programme ‘Connect the World’, where she has interviewed many of the world’s leading politicians and decision-makers.

“Becky was an enthusiastic and engaging speaker who charmed her audience,” said Dr Marina Pedreira-Vilarino, Director of Development and Alumni Relations.