We are delighted to hear that Dr Beth Mortimer has been awarded the Zoological Society of London’s Bicentenary Award (formerly the ZSL Silver Medal).
The ZSL Silver Medal was first awarded in 1847 for outstanding achievements in zoology. In celebration of ZSL’s bicentenary, the ZSL Silver Medal has been renamed the ZSL Bicentenary Award in recognition of outstanding contributions to the understanding and appreciation of zoology, including public education in natural history and wildlife conservation.
The Award recognises both Beth’s pioneering research, which combines biology, physics, and advanced data analysis to reveal the ecological significance of vibrational signals, and her commitment to science communication and outreach. This includes her work on the Royal Society Summer Science Exhibition, Seismic Senses: From Spiders to Elephants, where immersive, hands-on experiences brought complex research to life for public audiences.
Beth’s research aims to understand how animals use vibration so effectively, to help us monitor wildlife and design technologies that use vibrations along surfaces for information.
Beth joins previous department winners David Macdonald, who won the Medal in 2009, and Richard Dawkins, who won in 1988, along with honorary researcher Jonathan Kingdon who won in 1993.
