John Denham, Secretary of State for Innovation, Universities and Skills, will today present an honorary OBE to Professor Paul Matthews, Professor of Clinical Neurosciences at Imperial College
05 November 2008
Professor Matthews, an American citizen, received his award for services to science at the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills at 10am.
Professor Matthews plays a key role in rapid translation of fundamental biomedical research into improvements in healthcare as GlaxoSmithKline's Vice-President for Imaging and Head of the GSK Imaging Centre.
Mr Denham said:
"From a distinguished career in academia to a leading role in the pharmaceutical industry Professor Matthews has given outstanding service to science.
"The advances Professor Matthews has made in neuroscience are particularly impressive and he is rightly recognised as a pioneer for the development of advanced approaches to brain imaging.
"This honour reflects an increasing awareness of science and its importance to the country. We have benefited hugely from Professor Matthews' talents and it gives me great pleasure to present him with his OBE".
Professor Matthews is internationally renowned for his innovative studies of the functional pathology of brain disease. He has been a pioneer in the development of advanced approaches to brain imaging which are now widely used.
Notes to editors
1. As Professor Matthews is not a British citizen John Denham is presenting the award on behalf of Her Majesty the Queen.
2. After a distinguished career in academia, in 2006 Professor Matthews joined GlaxoSmithKline as Vice-President for Imaging, Genetics and Neurology and Head of the GSK Imaging Centre at the Hammersmith Hospital, London. He is playing a key role in developing collaborations between academic and industrial researchers, aimed at rapid translation of fundamental biomedical research into improvements in healthcare.
3. He was educated at Oxford and Stanford Universities, completing his specialty training in neurology at the Montreal Neurological Institute in Canada. After a brief period as a faculty member at McGill University, he returned to Oxford to build and become the first Director of the MRC-funded Centre for Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) of the Brain within the Department of Clinical Neurology.
4. He has also published over 250 original scientific papers and reviews and is strongly committed to public communication. Professor Matthew's contributions have been recognised by his peers and he was awarded with an MRC Clinical Research Professorship.
5. For media enquiries only please contact Matt Barker in the Department for Innovation, Universities and Skills (DIUS) press office on 0203 300 8126 or Janet Morgan at GSK on 020 8966 2103.
