Fiona Wood Awarded 2026 King’s Medal

Professor Fiona Wood AO has been awarded a Royal Medal 2026 for her pioneering work resulting in the invention of spray-on-skin, an innovation that has transformed the lives of burns patients globally.

Instituted by King George IV in 1825, the Royal Medals, also known as the King’s Medals, are awarded annually by the Sovereign and occupy a prestigious place in the history of scientific recognition. Professor Wood now enters a Royal Medal lineage that includes Frederick Sanger FRS, Max Perutz FRS and Francis Crick FRS, placing her contribution to burn medicine within an enduring tradition of scientific achievement recognised by the Crown.

Professor Wood is one of three scientists awarded a King’s Medal in 2026. Professor Lewis E Kay FRS is recognised for his contribution to understanding and quantifying protein dynamics and their relevance to protein function, while Professor John Pyle CBE FRS is recognised for foundational and policy-relevant contributions to the understanding of stratospheric and tropospheric ozone. Together, the three medals recognise contributions across the biological, physical and applied sciences.

For Fiona, the recognition follows more than three decades at the intersection of research and clinical care. Her development of spray-on-skin grew from the imperative to improve treatment following burn injury, translating advances in skin cell technology into an innovation with international clinical application.

For David Fyfe, Chair of the Fiona Wood Foundation and a burn survivor of the 2002 Bali bombings, Fiona’s Royal Medal has particular personal significance.

“As a burn survivor of the Bali bombings, I know firsthand what Fiona’s work has meant for people facing the long road of recovery. Spray-on-skin formed part of my treatment and significantly reduced my scarring, giving me a renewed sense of what was possible for my life. More than twenty years later, Fiona still brings the same determination to improving care and ensuring that burn injury does not define a person’s future. For the work that played such an important part in my own recovery to be recognised by the Sovereign through the King’s Medal is an honour of particular meaning to me, both as a burn survivor and as Chair of the Foundation.”

This recognition reflects the enduring legacy of Fiona’s contribution to burn care and the body of knowledge that continues to advance because of it. For the Fiona Wood Foundation, it also affirms the purpose that has guided our work alongside her for more than three decades. We are immensely proud of Fiona and acknowledge all those who have contributed their expertise and commitment to our shared vision of scarless healing in mind and body.

To view the Royal Society’s full announcement of the 2026 Medals and Awards recipients by clicking here.