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Professor Brian Wynne Associate Director of Cesagen, Lancaster University awarded prestigious Bernal Prize.

The prestigious J D Bernal Prize has been awarded to Brian Wynne, Professor of Science Studies at the ESRC Centre for Economic and Social Aspects of Genomics (Cesagen) and the Centre for the Study of Environmental Change (CSEC) at Lancaster University, for his distinguished contribution to the social studies of science.

The Bernal Prize is the highest honour given by the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S), and is awarded annually. Previous recipients have included Donna Haraway, Karin Knorr Cetina, Sheila Jasanoff, Joseph Needham, Robert Merton, Thomas Kuhn, and Mary Douglas.

Professor Wynne was awarded the prize by Bernal Committee Chairman, Professor Alan Irwin at a banquet during the Society for Social Studies of Science (4S) Annual Meeting in Tokyo on Friday 27th August.

On learning that he would be receiving the award, Professor Wynne said:

"It is humbling to realise the stellar company in which this award places me. The insights which the field nurtured by 4S has struggled to develop and communicate over the last forty years are central to a much larger work which needs to be done. This is to imbue the new global relations between East and West, North and South, global and local, and the anxious instrumental frenzy of innovation which this fuels, with a genuinely cosmopolitan, adventurous, grounded humility in the knowledge which we claim gives us licence. The only proper response to this award is now to begin to try to earn it."