New Brewer-Loughman Awards for Final Year Undergraduate Research

The University of Oxford Department of Earth Sciences is delighted to announce the establishment of The Brewer-Loughman Awards for final year Earth Sciences undergraduates.

The Brewer-Loughman Awards have been made possible through a generous gift from Jonathan Brewer and David Loughman, both Oxford Geology Department undergraduates from 1974-1977. The gift is in memory of their fathers, Douglas Brewer (1925 – 2018) and Brian Loughman (1925 – 2019). Douglas Brewer was an undergraduate, and completed his DPhil, was a student at Pembroke College, Oxford. He went on to become a Professor of Experimental Physics and later Emeritus Professor at the University of Sussex. Brian Loughman, a graduate of Aberystwyth University, completed his DPhil at Downing College Cambridge, before becoming a Fellow in Plant Sciences and later Emeritus Fellow at University College, Oxford.

Douglas Brewer at the Clarendon Laboratory in 1952

Brian Loughman in his Oxford laboratory in 1954.

Both scientists with Welsh roots, Douglas and Brian greatly appreciated the financial support they received from Oxford. They became well-known for the support and attention they gave to their many undergraduates and research students, as well as their strong belief in the importance of experimental rigor and sound data to lasting scientific research. The Brewer-Loughman Awards are intended to promote Douglas Brewer and Brian Loughman’s values by supporting the Department’s undergraduate final year research projects.

‘I would like to personally thank Jonathan and David for this kind donation to the department. We will be able to significantly enhance the analytical, fieldwork or experimental aspects of the undergraduate final year projects through these awards. These will enrich the research experience, improve the prospect of the work being published internationally, and provide a great addition to the recipients CVs.’

Professor Chris Ballentine, Head of Department