Graphene pioneers awarded the Freedom of Manchester

08 Oct 2013

Professor Andre Geim and Professor Kostya Novoselov are to be awarded the Honorary Freedom of the City of Manchester for their groundbreaking work on graphene.

The freedom of the city is the highest honour Manchester can bestow and is given in recognition of their pioneering work.

Along with their colleagues, Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov are widely recognised for isolating the material at the University and placing the city at the forefront of the global graphene revolution. It was this work that led to each of them being awarded the Nobel Prize for Physics in 2010.

The Lord Mayor of Manchester Councillor Naeem ul Hassan said: "It is a privilege to be able to present the freedom of the city to Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov.

"The significance of their work on graphene is truly breath-taking and we are yet to truly grasp the magnitude of its real-life applications.

"Manchester is a city born of innovation so it is only right we recognise the achievements of Sir Andre and Sir Kostya - who have joined the pantheon of scientific giants connected to our forward-looking city."

Professor Geim and Professor Novoselov will be presented with the freedom of the city at a special event early next year.