Royce’s Dr Helen Ryder receives RSC Award for Exceptional Service
Dr Helen Ryder, Royce Project Manager and Chair of the Royal Society of Chemistry’s Formulation Science and Technology Interest Group (RSC-FST), and Interest Group Representative for the Member Networks Committee has won the prestigious RSC prize for outstanding service to the Royal Society of Chemistry through its member communities and governance groups.
Helen is part of a cohort of three individuals and three teams from the University of Manchester to have won prestigious prizes from the Royal Society of Chemistry, celebrating the most exciting chemical science taking place today.
On receiving the prize, Helen, who will also receive an RSC engraved medal said:
“What an honour! I am extremely proud to accept this Award for Exceptional Service from the RSC. To be recognised for the voluntary work I do as Chair of the Formulation Science and Technology Interest Group and as Interest Group Representative for the Member Networks Committee is truly amazing. There are so many fantastic volunteers working to advance the chemical sciences so to be nominated and awarded this prestigious award is beyond anything I thought possible. Truly, truly grateful.”
Dr Eliza Gardner, Head of Operations at Royce, said:
“We’re extremely proud of Helen’s significant contribution to furthering the advancement of the chemicals sciences. She is a key member of our team here at Royce, running our facilities and engaging with our customers across the advanced materials community. We recognise that all her voluntary efforts contribute to making our world a better place and to inspiring the chemicals science community. We value and appreciate Helen’s dedication to her discipline and her important role as ambassador for science.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s interest groups are scientific networks run by members for their community. Helen has represented the Royal Society of Chemistry and the RSC-FST at numerous corporate events, conferences and exhibitions, delivering on the objectives set for those events and reporting to the committees on the outcomes. In 2020, the RSC-FST was able to transfer its meetings successfully online, running five meetings with 1,400 registered participants.
To add to Helen’s accolade, the RSC-FST is also the recipient of the RSC Inspirational Committee Award for the successful transition of their conference programme to run online during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Dr Helen Pain, Chief Executive of the Royal Society of Chemistry, added:
“All of us have experienced tremendous challenges in the last year and the chemical sciences community has been integral to how the world has responded in a number of ways. In the face of such challenges, the contribution of volunteers to support and inspire others should rightly be recognised at the highest level. Without volunteers we could not do much of the work that we do. Dr Ryder’s efforts are humbling and heartening and a fantastic example for others to look up to, and we are delighted to recognise her contribution.”
The Royal Society of Chemistry’s prizes have recognised excellence in the chemical sciences for more than 150 years. In 2019, the organisation announced the biggest overhaul of this portfolio in its history, designed to better reflect modern science. Of those to have won a Royal Society of Chemistry Prize, over 50 have gone on to win Nobel Prizes for their pioneering work, including 2019 Nobel laureate John B. Goodenough.
For more information on the winners visit https://www.rsc.org/prizes-funding/prizes/2021-winners/
For more information about the RSC’s modern Prizes portfolio, visit https://www.rsc.org/prizes-funding/prizes/
