The Paul Dirac Medal and Prize is a gold medal awarded annually by the Institute of Physics (Britain's and Ireland's main professional body for physicists) for "outstanding contributions to theoretical (including mathematical and computational) physics".[1] The award, which includes a £1000 prize, was decided upon by the Institute of Physics in 1985, and first granted in 1987.
| 1987 | Stephen Hawking | |||
| 1988 | John Stewart Bell | |||
| 1989 | Roger Penrose | |||
| 1990 | Michael Berry | |||
| 1991 | Rudolf Peierls | |||
| 1992 | Anthony Leggett | |||
| 1993 | David Thouless | |||
| 1994 | Volker Heine | |||
| 1995 | Daniel Frank Walls | |||
| 1996 | John Pendry | |||
| 1997 | Peter Higgs | |||
| 1998 | David Deutsch[2] | University of Oxford | his pioneering work in quantum computation leading to the concept of a quantum computer and for contributing to the understanding of how such devices might be constructed from quantum logic gates in quantum networks. | |
| 1999 | Ian C. Percival[3] | Queen Mary and Westfield College | his distinguished contributions to the interpretation of quantum theory, to quantum and classical dynamical chaos, and to atomic and molecular theory | |
| 2000 | John Cardy[4] | University of Oxford | his seminal contributions to statistical mechanics. In particular, he is recognized for his application of field theoretical and conformal invariance methods to the study of critical behaviour, considerations of the effects of quenched disorder, integrable systems and non-equilibrium critical phenomena. | |
| 2001 | Brian Ridley[5] | University of Essex | his profound influence on semiconductor theory stretching over four decades | |
| 2002 | [6] | University of Bristol | outstanding contribution to theoretical physics in the areas of quantum mechanics, classical mechanics, and optics | |
| 2003 | Christopher Hull[7] | Queen Mary University of London | pioneering work in super-string theory. | |
| 2004 | Michael Green[8] | University of Cambridge | crucial role in the development of superstring theory as a credible new framework for physics | |
| 2005 | John Ellis[9] | CERN | his highly influential work on particle physics phenomenology; in particular on the properties of gluons, the Higgs boson and the top quark. | |
| 2006 | [10] | University College London | his contributions to the development of atomic-scale computer simulations, which have greatly extended their power and effectiveness across an immense range of applications. | |
| 2007 | University of Oxford | his pioneering work in spin glasses. | ||
| 2008 | Bryan Webber | University of Cambridge | his pioneering work in understanding and applying quantum chromodynamics (QCD), the theory of the strong interaction which is one of the three fundamental forces of Nature. | |
| 2009 | Michael Cates | University of Edinburgh | pioneering work in the theoretical physics of soft materials, particularly in relation to their flow behaviour. | |
| 2010 | University of Oxford | his contribution to our understanding of how galaxies are constituted, how they work and how they were formed. | ||
| 2011 | Christopher Isham | Imperial College London | his major contributions to the search for a consistent quantum theory of gravity and to the foundations of quantum mechanics. | |
| 2012 | Graham Garland Ross[11] | University of Oxford | his theoretical work in developing both the Standard Model of fundamental particles and forces and theories beyond the Standard Model that have led to many new insights into the origins and nature of the universe. | |
| 2013 | University of Strathclyde | his wide ranging contributions throughout optics research, which both inspire and lead experimental endeavours. | ||
| 2014 | Tim Palmer[12] | University of Oxford | the development of probabilistic weather and climate prediction systems. | |
| 2015 | John Barrow | University of Cambridge | his combination of mathematical and physical reasoning to increase our understanding of the evolution of the universe, and his use of cosmology to increase our understanding of fundamental physics. | |
| 2016 | Sandu Popescu[13] | University of Bristol | his fundamental and influential research into nonlocality and his contribution to the foundations of quantum physics. | |
| 2017 | Michael Duff[14] | Imperial College London and Oxford University | sustained groundbreaking contributions to theoretical physics including the discovery of Weyl anomalies, for having pioneered Kaluza-Klein supergravity, and for recognising that superstrings in 10 dimensions are merely a special case of membranes in an 11-dimensional M-theory. | |
| 2018 | University of Oxford | his pioneering, deep, and distinctive contributions to condensed-matter theory, particularly in the quantum Hall effect, and to geometrically frustrated magnets. | ||
| 2019 | Richard Keith Ellis | University of Durham | his seminal work in quantum chromodynamics (QCD) where he performed many of the key calculations that led to the acceptance of QCD as the correct theory of the strong interaction. | |
| 2020 | Carlos Frenk[15] | University of Durham | outstanding contributions to establishing the current standard model for the formation of all cosmic structure, and for leading computational cosmology within the UK for more than three decades. | |
| 2021 | Steven Balbus | University of Oxford | fundamental contributions to the theory of accretion-disc turbulence and the dynamical stability of astrophysical fluids, breaking new ground by establishing the critical role played by weak magnetic fields. | |
| 2022 | Michael William Finnis[16] | Imperial College London | opening entire areas of materials physics to rigorous theory and atomic-scale computation, including atomic interactions, irradiation damage, metal–ceramic interfaces, grain boundary embrittlement and ab initio thermodynamics of open systems. | |
| 2023 | Gavin Salam[17] | University of Oxford | profound, wide-ranging and impactful contributions to particle physics, especially those concerning the identification and structure of hadronic jets. |