Researchers honoured for ‘standing up for science’

Indonesian forest fire expert and Canadian pharmacist are the winners of this year’s Maddox Prize

An Indonesian forest fire expert whose testimony was vital in bringing a palm oil company to justice and a Canadian pharmacist who challenged high-dose vitamin C injections for cancer patients have been honoured for “standing up for science”.

Bambang Hero Saharjo and Olivier Bernard were awarded the prestigious John Maddox Prize at a ceremony in central London on 12 November. Now in its eighth year, the prize, run by the charity Sense about Science in collaboration with the journal Nature, aims to honour those who champion science in the face of adversity. This year saw a total of 206 nominations from 38 countries.