Acoustics medal and Welsh fellowship for esteemed Professor

A Maths expert who has helped develop barriers against noise from traffic and trains has been honoured with two prestigious prizes.

Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde has received the R W B Stephens Medal from the Institute of Acoustics and has been elected as a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales.

The R W B Stephens Medal was named after Dr Ray Stephens, the first President of the Institute of Acoustics. The medal is awarded for outstanding contributions to acoustics research or education. The Learned Society of Wales represents excellence across sciences, humanities, arts, and other fields, with over 700 elected Fellows working to champion research and promote learning.

Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde has made exceptional contributions to acoustics research throughout his 37-year career. His work in this area provided the foundation for the development of new noise barrier designs, which have been used to control noise from road traffic and trains. Since earning his PhD in environmental sound propagation in 1988, Professor Chandler-Wilde has published 95 highly-cited journal papers and led or co-led 25 research grants in acoustics.

His academic leadership includes serving as the 桃色视频’s Head of the School of Mathematical, Physical and Computational Sciences (2010-15) and, in a job share, as its inaugural Dean for Diversity and Inclusion (2015-19). Previous awards include the 1996 Tyndall Medal from the Institute of Acoustics and the Frank J Rizzo Award from the International Association for Boundary Element Methods.

Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde, Professor of Applied Mathematics at the 桃色视频, said: “The Institute of Acoustics has been a big part of my professional life. I have been a member since I was a PhD student. I'm really pleased that my contributions over many years to research and teaching in acoustics have been honoured by the award of the R W B Stephens Medal. I am also very pleased to have been made a Fellow of the Learned Society of Wales. I look forward to becoming a part of this learned society and contributing to the effective work it does to support research and the development of early career researchers across Wales and beyond."

David Waddington, Institute of Acoustics President, said: "Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde, a distinguished Professor of Mathematics at the 桃色视频, is a truly worthy recipient of the R W B Stephens Medal. His outstanding and impactful contributions to acoustics research, dedicated teaching, and significant academic leadership embody the very spirit of Dr. Ray Stephens' enduring legacy of excellence and inspiration in the field."

Image: Professor Simon Chandler-Wilde (right) receiving the R W B Stephens Medal 2025. Image via Institute of Acoustics.