The Irene Manton Prize

£1,000 and a piece of fine art for the best doctoral thesis in botany (algae, fungi or plants).

Awarded for the best thesis in botany examined for a doctorate of philosophy. It is open to candidates whose research has been carried out whilst registered at any UK institution. Nominations are received from the Head of Department, or the supervisor of the candidate.

The next round of nominations for this award will open in May 2025.

Dr Jamie B. Thompson

‘I was astounded and humbled receive the Irene Manton Prize. Studying evolution is a lifelong dream and has proven to be great fun. It is a joy to reveal how unassuming plants adapt to changing environments. I feel so grateful to be recognised for work that excites me every day. This wouldn’t have been possible without the support and encouragement of so many people, including my supervisor Dr Nick Priest, mentors Professor Julie Hawkins and Dr Santiago Ramírez-Barahona (among others), my family, friends and fiancé Georgia. Thank you all!’

Dr Jamie B. Thompson’s thesis, ‘Tempo and drivers of angiosperm diversification’, is a worthy winner of this year’s Irene Manton Prize. Jamie’s research into the explosive diversification of angiosperms (flowering plants) is revolutionising our understanding of plant biodiversity. He has demonstrated a previously unknown link between Cenozoic global cooling and diversification rates in orchids, proving that Charles Darwin’s idea of gradual evolution was 700 times less likely to drive diversification than historic global cooling. Jamie’s work has also combined machine learning and phylogenetic inference to identify biotic and abiotic forces driving diversification in cacti, while other research has overturned the assumption that plant species were wiped out by the asteroid that killed the dinosaurs, and tested the role of aridity in driving diversification of succulents.