Or Stephanie Shirley, an early computing pioneer and philanthropist. He was awarded the Nobel prize for physics in 2010 for his groundbreaking work on graphene. He came to the UK for his PhD, stayed and went on to found the MRC Laboratory of Molecular Biology – where I did my PhD, but more notable for being the “Nobel Prize Factory”.įuture contenders could include Andre Geim, born in Russia and now a joint British and Dutch citizen. My scientific hero, Max Perutz, the Austrian-born British molecular biologist awarded a Nobel Prize for Chemistry, is a good place to start. Almost a third of the UK’s Nobel Prizes in physiology or medicine, chemistry and physics have been awarded to people born outside of the UK. Since the person on the new £50 note does not have to have been born in Britain, we could take this opportunity to celebrate the international talent that has made UK science so strong.

Great science is built on great talent, wherever it is from. Many of the best scientists in the UK were not born here. This is a brilliant way to celebrate the UK’s scientific success and there are plenty of people I’d like to see on British banknotes, just like Michael Faraday, Charles Darwin, Florence Nightingale and Isaac Newton before them. The Bank of England has announced that the next character to feature on the new £50 note will be a notable figure from science, with the public being asked for nominations.

Florence nightingale bank note