After two years of waiting, our 2020 George Gray medal winner, Prof. Ewa Górecka (University of Warsaw), was finally presented with the award in person.

Prof. Ewa Górecka (University of Warsaw) receiving the 2020 BLCS Gray Medal Award from the current chair the of the BLCS, Prof. Nigel Mottram, together with past Chairs, Profs John Goodby and Corrie Imrie. Photo credits go to BLCS Treasurer, Prof. Giampaolo D’Alessandro.

Prof. Górecka’s work on the chemistry and physics of liquid crystals has been hugely influential over the last 30 years. Her work has led to crucial insights into the structure and organisation of almost all phases of liquid crystal, focussing particular on aspects of chirality, ferro/antiferroelectricity, polarity and investigating newer phases such as the twist-bend phase. Prof. Górecka has collaborated with many institutions around the world, including visiting professorships at the Tokyo Institute of Technology in Japan, KAIST research university in Korea, Penang University in Malaysia, the French Institute of Physics and Material Chemistry, Chalmers University of Technology in Sweden, and the Institute of Physics of the Czech Academy of Sciences. For many years, she has had substantial collaborations with the University of Maribor and the University of Aberdeen. She has received previous awards from the Japanese Society of Applied Physics, the Wiktor Kemula Prize, the Prof. Wojciech Świętosławski Prize, and the Prime Minister’s Award for outstanding scientific achievements.

The award was presented during the recent International Liquid Crystal Conference in Lisbon by the current BLCS Chair, Prof. Nigel Mottram, together with past Chairs, Profs John Goodby and Corrie Imrie, and the BLCS Treasurer, Prof. Giampaolo D’Alessandro (who also took the photographs).

Prof. Ewa Górecka (University of Warsaw) along side Profs. Nigel Mottram, John Goodby and Corrie Imrie.